Loves Fine Line
by Grey Mustang
Summary: It's thought that love has a fine line standing between hate and love. For 6 years Lily has hated James. For 4 years James has secretly fancied Lily. When numerous events reveal themselves, will it push Lily over the fine line? Complete!
1. With The New Year

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: Updated version! No major changes made but I can safely say that there will be in following chapters.**_

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Chapter 1: 

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

Lily Evans' sleepy head poked up from under a flood of auburn hair. She slammed her hand down on the source of the sound, it being her alarm clock. Perhaps hitting it a little too hard.

"Oh fff…" she bit her lip in an effort to keep her colourful language concealed. She shook her hand in attempt to reduce the throbbing, "Flapjacks," she sighed once the pain had subsided.

Swearing had become a habit among some of her friends, and she noticed that the unappreciated language was rubbing off on her.

She looked up at her calendar that read the 1st of September. She then quickly looked at her clock that read 9:30 am. "Oh crap!" She yelled this time not even the slightest attempt to cover it up.

_Why did today have to be the day I forget to reset my alarm clock?_ She yelled at herself mentally.

She swung her long, pale legs over the side of the bed and wrenched open her closet door. "Thank god I packed last night," she mumbled as she threw on some worn jeans and a white blouse.

"Mum!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs, "I have to go NOW!" She yelled stuffing a piece of buttered toast in her mouth.

A lady holding a cup of tea appeared around the corner, "I'm completely aware of that Lily," she said with a small smile.

"Where's dad? I have to say good bye."

"He already left for work sweetie," Lily's mother saw he daughter's disappointed face and was quick to add, "He came into your room this morning to say goodbye."

Lily nodded as she slipped on a pair of almost destroyed sneakers. Her mother started fiddling with her hair, "Mum! It's just hair. I'll brush it on the train."

Lily's mum sighed, "At sixteen I'd have thought that you would be wearing a skirt some nice sandals and your hair all brushed and perfect on your first day back."

Lily rolled her eyes, "That's Kay mum, not me."

Lily's best friend Kay was one of those people that just rolled out of bed and looked like she'd been to a spa. But that didn't stop her from making sure every hair was in place.

"Well, don't you want to say goodbye to your sister?"

Lily was silent as she ripped a corner off her toast and then replied to the question flatly, "No."

Lily's mum didn't say a word against it. It was probably for the best anyway. She snatched up the car keys and headed for the door.

"Thanks mum, I'll just get my trunk."

The car trip on the way to the station was oddly quiet. Usually Lily would be babbling on to her mum about what subjects she and her friends would be doing, or what she planned to do in her spare time at Hogsmeade. But something made the atmosphere tense.

"Where's dad really mum?" Lily said out of the blue.

Her mother sighed heavily as though she didn't really want to talk about it. Though, Lily guessed she didn't.

"He came back drunk again," Lily's mum said curtly.

Lily put her head in her hands. She was sick of hearing about her father's problems. One day it was drinking, the other cheating, gambling. The list went on. She had to ask didn't she? At least when she was at Hogwarts she wouldn't have to worry about anything.

They reached the station without another word. Lily got out but her mum didn't. Lily got her trunk out of the boot and went to the driver's side window, "Bye mum, tell dad I love him next time you see him."

Her mother didn't say anything but Lily knew she had would. She lugged her trunk up to the front of King's Cross Station where she got a trolley to make her trip to the train easier.

When she reached platform 9 and 10 she casually leant up against the wall. She could feel herself slowly sinking into the wall when the Station Guard grabbed her trolley and pulled her forward.

"Good lord girl!" he exclaimed as though he had just seen her pull an umbrella out of her perse.

"Umm pardon sir? Is there a problem?" Lily asked politely.

"You were falling into the wall."

"I expect you need your glasses fixed sir," Lily laughed. The man was old and had thick glasses framing his large brown eyes.

He turned his back on her though he was still talking, "No, no, no. I've seen it done before. People mysteriously disappearing through a wall every now and then."

Lily took her chance, whilst he continued his monolog, to slip through the wall into platform 9 ¾.

"It's as though something magical has pulled them through into another world or dimension!" the old man swung around to face Lily only to find that she was gone. "Damn you wall!" he pointed at the wall in between platform 9 and 10, "One of these days I will stop you."

Lily sighed in relief. At least she hadn't blown the cover. "Lils!" Lily turned at the sound of her name being hollered over the large crowd of witches and wizards. She knew almost immediately who it was. Only two people called her Lils.

She saw another sixteen-year-old girl pushing her way through the crowd. Her dark blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders, and her steel blue eyes looked just as happy as they always did.

"Kay!" Lily yelled back and ran to meet her friend halfway. Embracing each other in a hug trying to tell each other their whole holiday stories at once.

"Where's Mel?" both friends said at once.

Lily looked disappointed. She was looking forward to seeing both friends. Kay wasn't hard to find seeing as she was loud, tall and stuck out like someone with purple hair.

But Melissa was harder than that. She usually stuck to the outside of crowds. She was quieter than either of them, and liked to stay that way even around the people she was comfortable with.

"Don't worry Lils," Kay stood up on Lily's trunk, "I've got it sorted."

"Kay what are you doing? You're attracting eyes."

"Oh yeah, like that's new," Kay flipped her hair over one shoulder. Like Lily had explained to her mother, Kay had looks and she loved to use them to her fullest advantages.

"Attention!" Kay yelled out over the platform, "Would Miss Melissa Jewels report to the back wall where Miss Lily Evans and myself, Kay Crew, are waiting for you to get your arse down here so we don't miss the train and get expelled!"

There were a few laughs from the crowd when Kay finished her announcement. But soon after a short girl with frizzy black hair and small pink framed glasses popped out from the crowd pulling her trunk.

She pushed her glasses up her nose and scowled at Kay, "What was that for? Everyone was looking," She said huffily and sat down on her trunk.

"A little bit of attention has never hurt anyone."

Lily opened her mouth but on second thoughts shut it again.

The whistle on the Hogwarts Express blew and people started filling onto it to get the best compartments.

"C'mon guys we better hurry if we want a compartment by itself," Kay grabbed Mel with her free hand and dragged her trunk with the other pulling her friend towards the train with Lily not far behind.

As they walked down one of the train corridors two well known, though unwanted, boys stopped them.

"Oh god," Lily mumbled to herself, though apparently loud enough for Mel to hear.

"Don't worry, Kay always gets us out of this kind of stuff."

"Move it Potter, you too Black, " Kay said coldly to the two boys.

The one with hazel eyes and dark brown hair that had a look as though he'd just gotten off a broom, which knowing him he probably had, started to say something, "Now, now Crew watch that temper."

"You'd better watch more than my temper if you don't want to wake up in the hospital wing Potter," Kay said threateningly.

"Geeze not the happiest today. Besides, all we wish is a word with Miss Evans," the boy with black hair and lightish blue eyes stated waving a hand towards Lily.

"Of course you do," Lily sighed. She closed her eyes, "That's all you ever want. And whatever the question is the answer's NO!"

"Oh well that's good," the black haired boy said again, "We were going to ask if you didn't want to go out with James."

Lily rolled her eyes and shoved past the boys to open the nearest compartment that was thankfully empty and threw her trunk in.

Kay and Mel followed quickly after, also throwing their trunks onto the overhead racks.

"A little more polite perhaps?" Kay asked holding out her hands as if she was going to get something.

"Why should she?" Mel sat and opened up a book, which she would soon become engulfed in, "They pay her no respect."

"Yeah, and you weren't the happiest flower either," Lily stated, trying not to sound too mean. She hated getting into fights with her friends.

"Well I have a good reason to be unhappy with Potter, Sirius is still ok," Kay smiled slightly to herself but then stopped when she saw the others looking at her strangely, "What?"

"I have a good reason to be 'unhappy' with Potter too," _Six goddamn years of torture. _She thought to herself, "And please don't tell me you're falling for another of those Marauders? First bloody Potter and now Black?."

"Who says I'm falling for Sirius?" Kay said defensively, "And falling for James was a big mistake," James had gone out with Kay for about two weeks in the last term of school before he got bored of her and cheated on her with Emily Olein.

"I would of thought that someone with as much experience as you would've seen that coming," Mel said still with her nose in her book.

"What is this whole thing people have going on about me and experience?"

"Well one thing's for sure you were an experienced kisser," the girls turned to glare at James' head that was sticking through the compartment door.

"Sod off Potter," Lily said coldly.

"Lily I've never known you too use such-" Sirius was cut off by James who demanded to be center of attention.

"A wide arrangement of language. I think you're letting Kay get to you."

"Don't you dare call her Kay," Lily stood up to face him. She only came up to his chest but she hoped she looked threatening.

"You don't even deserve to call her by her first name! You don't even deserve to see her. Not after what you did," first chance Lily got she slammed the door in front of James at the slightest step backwards.

Kay smiled and jumped up to give her friend another hug, "Thanks Lil. No one ever stands up for me."

"What is your first name?" Mel looked up from her book momentarily.

"Kaydence," Kay said deadpan, "It means musical."

"And we all know how much you love to sing!" Lily pretended to look excited.

"Just because I have more talent than most."

"Talent to burst my ears," Kay shove Lily in the back.

Once Lily and Kay had sat they tried to drag Mel out of her book into a conversation. Finding they were failing a little.

* * *

James sighed as he lay down on the compartment lounge, "First rejection of the year."

BOOM

James didn't even flinch when three of his best mates' card tower blew up.

"Let's hope I can cut it down from 272 this year."

"10 sickles says he tops it," smiled a thin boy with sandy blonde hair.

"Mooney you're supposed to be encouraging," Sirius hit his friend Remus on the back, "A galleon says you cut it down by at least 13."

"A galleon says it doesn't change," the shortest boy, Peter, shrugged as he shuffled another deck of Exploding Snap cards.

"The only way you're going to cut it down Prongs, is if you cut down how many times you ask her out. And I don't think that's going to change," Remus ignored Peter as he screamed when the whole deck blew up in his face.

Brushing a piece of singed card out of his hair Sirius gave Remus a disappointed look, "We're supposed to be helping Prongs get the girl of his dreams! Not breaking him down. Isn't that right Wormtail?"

All three boys looked over at the plump boy who lay holding his nose as he groaned.

"She is NOT the girl of my dreams! I just need her," James pouted.

"You need her 'coz you luuuv her," Remus teased.

"Do not! It's just that she is the ONLY female that I have met in my entire life that has not fallen for my charms. And I swore on Marauder's honour that I would get every single girl on their knees worshipping me."

"We don't have a Marauder's honour," Sirius explained.

"Oh."

James gazed out the window while Sirius tried to show Peter how to shuffle a deck of cards the 'manly' way. Though, the one thing that was really on his mind was a tall girl with glowing green eyes, fiery red hair to match her attitude and a smile that could brighten the world.

James had fallen asleep on those very thoughts.

Lily and James rode over Hogwarts' grounds. As they cantered a masculine horse past the green house Lily had her arms around James' waist. She laughed out loud as the wind swept her hair back.

He was rudely awoken from his dreams by the screech of breaks and the surge of the train stopping. He opened his eyes to find that all of his other friends had too just woken from the train's arrival at Hogwarts.

The realisation hit all four boys at the same time, and they rushed around finding their robes and slipping into them as fast as possible.

James was last off the train. As soon as his feet, and trunk, hit the platform the train made another screech of metal on metal as it made its way back to where it would stay until needed again.

There was still one carriage left. It looked kind of spooky without any horses there to pull it. And even though it was a fine day with no rain, it still made the area feel slightly… spooky. It was the only word for it.

Remus opened the carriage to find that it was fortunately unoccupied. They sat inside and found it nice to for once sit in dry robes instead of sopping wet ones.

"So what's the plans for our wonderful Marauders this year?" Peter asked leaning an elbow on his knee.

"Make Snape's life even more miserable than it is. Finish off dating the rest of the eligible, female population of Gryffindor our year. And accomplish the impossible," Sirius read off the palm of his hand where there seemed to be some scrawled out notes in black pen.

"What's the impossible?" Remus asked.

"Get Lily to go out with Prongsie."

"Hey! It's not impossible," James started to sulk.

"It's just very nearly never going to happen," mumbled Peter to Remus who chuckled at the comment.

"On another subject," James started while glaring at Peter and Remus on the other side of the carriage, "Who is left in the grade that hasn't fallen for our charms?"

Remus sighed and rolled his eyes as Sirius pulled out a long sheet of parchment.

"I have," Sirius squinted at some names on the parchment that didn't hold ticks beside them, "The Isabel twins, Crew, Jewels, Evans-"

There were about 10 other girls on the list before he stopped, "What about you Prongs?"

"Jewels, Evans, Sandra, Grey, Flounce and Sprout," James smiled proudly at how few girls he had his list, well, mental list anyway, "You Wormtail?"

Peter gave a disappointed look and turned around a scroll of parchment that held several names with ticks on them. Those being: Melissa Jewels, Candy Isabel, Heather Read and a few other girls.

"How'd you get Candy to go out with you?" Sirius asked in disbelief.

"She felt sorry for me when Heather dumped me in the middle of dinner."

"Bless her soul."

"Enough about that," James waved his hand dismissively, "How about our Mr Mooney?"

"No it's okay, you three just carry on talking. Don't worry about me."

"C'mon Mooney. It can't be as bad as Wormtail," Peter looked up in mock hurt at James' comment.

"No its just that- Padfoot stop that! Sirius!"

Remus fell on the floor of the carriage when Sirius wrestled him to the floor where he grabbed out a piece of very neatly folded parchment out of Remus' pocket.

James' snatched it from his partners grip and unfolded it.

Sirius and Peter huddled around James waiting to see their friend's results. Remus sat back up on his seat looking slightly annoyed.

There came a gasp from the three reading off the crinkled parchment. Remus put a hand over his eyes as though it would make him invisible.

"When in hell did you ever go out with Lily?" barked James.

"And Crew?" Sirius said looking up from the parchment.

"And all the others!" Peter turned the parchment around to show that all the names were ticked off.

"I haven't gone out with all of them," Remus snatched the parchment and pointed to a small name down the bottom.

"But when did you go out with Lily?" James stood up on the carriage almost bumping his head on the roof.

"So you've gone out with every girl in the grade. Except, Melissa Jewels?" Sirius asked ignoring James.

"Yeah," Remus answered simply.

"Why haven't you gone out with her yet? You know she'd say yes in about three seconds," Peter took the piece of parchment again and stared at it hard to see if it was a trick.

"I dunno," Remus shrugged, "She's just a bit too…"

"A bit too what?"

"Merlin! What about Lily?" James was still yelling.

"Bit too smart for me," Remus concluded.

There was silence through the carriage, even from James.

"That's hypocritism!" Sirius finally spoke.

"Hypocrinism," Remus corrected.

"See!"

"She isn't that bad," Peter spoke out.

"You're only saying that because she's the only girl that was actually happy to go out with you Wormtail," James had seemed to forgotten Lily for the time being.

"Am not!"

The boys kept on quarrelling until the carriage reached the doors of the castel. As soon as dinner hit the tables, they'd soon forget that they had ever fought.****

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**_A/N: Ok, I know I suck at writing. I'm kinda new to writing about already based characters. I usually only write about my own made ups. So trying to get Lily and James and the marauders all in their right characters is sorta hard for me. Please review and tell me what you think. I WILL reply to all of them. Promise! Cross my heart and hope to die. I'm a very sensitive person cough so please don't be mean. But I don't mind if you say any ideas or anything you would like me to add._**

_**Thankies Grey Mustang**_


	2. Memories and Salad

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: New updated version! After reading this chapter I decided I could do MUCH MUCH better. I hope you guys agree with me :) P.S. The reason a lot of this is in italics is because it's a memory.  
**_

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Chapter 2: 

"You dated Pettigrew for ALL of last year and didn't tell us!" Lily tried not to yell it out to the crowd surrounding them.

Mel clasped a hand over the mouth of her shocked friend, "I only didn't tell you because I thought you'd make fun of me."

"I KNEW IT!" laughed Kay, "Ha! Pettigrew. You know I can actually picture you two together. You're the same height at least."

"Don't make a big deal out of it," said Mel sternly as she removed the hand from Lily's mouth, "And you can't tell anybody!"

Kay childishly stuck her tongue out in response. Lily sometimes wondered how she'd managed the two to be her friends. They were always fighting about one thing or another.

As they walked across the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table Lily smiled looking up at the roof. It seemed in a positive mood today and held a starry night sky with only a few clouds dotted around, much like the sky outside.

But it was unlikely it would last for long.

It made Lily feel like it was only a few days ago that she'd been eleven and walking nervously into the unknown hall surrounded by tall, experienced witches and wizards. She could still remember that happy day she had first started her adventure into the magical world.

* * *

_A short redhead pulling along a trolley bounced across the platforms at Kings Cross, mother at hand and all smiles. A month earlier she had received a very prestigious looking letter that informed her of a school she had been invited to join._

_On reaching Platforms 9 and 10 the small child and parents paused apprehensively, "Where was it you said we had to go Lilykin?" a tall man asked his eleven year old daughter._

"_9 and ¾," the eleven year old Lily said very sure of herself, "but," she added a little less unsure, "I can't see it."_

"_Looking for the platform?" said a male voice behind her._

_Lily jumped and turned to see boy almost an inch taller than her behind her admiring her snowy white owl._

"_It's my first year too," the boy smiled down at her his sparkling grey eyes and sandy blonde hair made him look even more friendly._

_For a moment Lily was at a loss for words. Was this seemingly normal boy just like her?_

"_Remus Lupin," the boy extended an inviting hand that Lily took hesitantly._

_Lily's mum squatted down next to them and smiled at the boy, "And where might your parents be Remus?"_

_Remus shrugged and leant on his trolley, "Mum saw, Mrs Potter, James' mum, and stopped to have a 'quick' chat," Remus nodded towards a few platforms down where a lady who looked a lot like Remus was chatting to another lady who had dark brown curls. _

_Lily could also see a young boy about her age with shaggy brown hair and chewing gum contently with a look that said he was off in a world of his own. Lily would bet a weeks allowance that this was James._

"_Anyway," Remus continued, "If you want to get to the platform you have to go through there."_

_Lily stared blankly at the wall separating platforms 9 and 10 that Remus was pointing too, "You're pulling my leg."_

"_Honest I'm not! Watch I'll prove it," before Lily could stop him Remus ran straight at the brick wall. Lily winced ready for the impact, but to her amazement, as well as_ _her parents', Remus disappeared through the wall._

_Just as soon as he had disappeared he reappeared, "See it's simple as that."_

"_Remus, come back here you know you're not supposed to go wondering off on your own. Be more responsible like James," Lily saw James choke on his gum with laughter at Remus' mother's comment._

"_It was nice to meet you," Remus called over his shoulder as he ran back to his mother and friend._

"_What a charming lad," Lily's dad commented._

_Lily nodded in mutual agreement, charming indeed. And she hadn't even told him her name._

"_Well we better get through that wall, it's almost quarter to eleven and instructions say you must be on the train at precisely 11 o'clock," Lily's mum took her hand again and started towards the brick wall._

_She could feel her insides swirl and her limbs turn to jelly as she past through the wall onto platform 9 ¾. The number of people compared to the outside platforms was amazing, but it was nothing compared to the enormous crimson red steam train that sat on the track._

"_Quick Lilykin you better board," her father nudged her in the direction of the train, "Get a compartment on the platform side and we'll see you off from the window."_

_Slightly unwillingly Lily jogged towards the train with her trolley at hand. The train already had a few passengers on board most of which looked at least two or more years older than Lily._

_She soon found a compartment with only one occupant with which the windows looked out to the still crowded platform._

"_Do you mind if I sit here?" Lily asked a girl who was even shorter than her. Frightened brown eyes looked out from behind pink framed glasses and her frizzy black hair made her look like she was wearing a pom-pom on her head._

_She did not reply verbally but shook her head in sharp shakes._

_With Lily's belongings stored in the overhead compartments and her owl sitting safely on a seat, the girl had still failed to even utter a word, but instead had her nose in a book._

"_My name is Lily Evans," Lily introduced herself, there was no way that she was going to spend an entire train ride with a girl who wasn't going to speak to her, so Lily would just have to encourage conversation._

"_M-Melissa Jewels, my friends call me Mel," Melissa stuttered still hiding behind her book._

"_That's a very pretty name," Lily's kind comment seemed to let Mel's guard down slightly, "Is this your first year too?"_

_Mel just nodded but the book was now by her side._

"_Mine too. I know nothing about the magical world, my parents a both normal."_

"_You mean your parents are muggles?"_

"_What's a muggle?"_

"_A person born with no magical power, that's what my dad is."_

"_But your mum is a witch?"_

"_Yeah, dad didn't find out until I was about five when my magical skills started to develop. Then he demanded a divorce. Now mum is married to a wizard, he's a lot nicer than my dad."_

_Lily was happy that Mel was now talking more and she was finding some of the things about her family very interesting._

_The train ride went quickly once Mel had started opening up and talking more to Lily. Lily found out a lot about the magic world from Mel and Lily told her about the muggle world that she hardly remembered._

_The sight of the castel left Lily in awe as she and Mel glided in a boat over a night black lake that reflected the stormy night sky above them. But even if it had started pelting down hail at that moment nothing could have ruined that experience for Lily._

_The castel was even more amazing from the inside. The stonewalls were high and the moving pictures made Lily laugh with joy. When they stopped outside oak wood doors that had to be ten times Lily's height they were met by an old witch in emerald green robes an a pointed hat._

"_I am professor McGonagall, before we begin the start-of-term banquet you will all be sorted into your houses. While you are here your house will become your family. You will sit with your house for meals, have classes with your house and sleep in your house dormitories," McGonagall paused to let the first years process what she had just said._

"_The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house has a noble history and all houses have produced outstanding witches and wizards. Whilst you are here you must know that your good deeds will earn you points, but any rule breaking or foolhardiness will loose you points. At the end of the year the house with the most points wins the house cup. I hope that you bring honour to your house. _

"_The sorting will begin in a few minutes. Before that I suggest that you attempt to clean yourselves up and make a good first impression. Wait quietly and I shall return when we are ready for you."_

_Although the professor was only absent for a few minutes it felt like an hour to Lily who was bouncing on the balls of her feet. She turned to Mel anxiously, "How do you think they sort us?"_

_Mel only shrugged, just as clueless as her friend._

"_It's nothing to worry about," said a very confident and suave voice. Lily turned to see a very hansom boy with black hair who was much taller than her. _

"_Unless you're me of course. The whole Black family has always been in Slytherin," the boy stuck his tongue out in distaste, "But I want to be Gryffindor."_

_Lily was about to comment on his distaste in the Slytherin house when McGonagall entered again and stood in front of the first years, silencing them with the cast of her shadow._

"_When I call your name you will sit on a stool and the sorting hat will be placed on your head, which ever house you are called to you will join for the feast. Now form a line and follow me."_

_Lily's heart was racing, what if she didn't hear her name called? What if she tripped and made a fool of herself in front of the whole school? What if she was placed in Slytherin house, which she was sure after the black haired boys accusation was the worst house? Or worse yet, what if the sorting hat couldn't place her in a house at all and she was forced to leave Hogwarts?_

_She was so absorbed in her own panics that when she finally became aware of her surroundings everyone seemed to be clapping at something she had missed._

"_Isn't it amazing, do you think it made that poem up on the spot?" asked Mel._

_All Lily could do was shrug and clap along as though she knew what they were talking about._

_McGonagall was now standing next to an old four-legged stool with a roll of parchment in one hand and a very raggedy looking hat, complete with patches and dust, in the other._

"_Abbott, Lennard," called professor McGonagall. A very short boy with red hair approached the stool. Once he sat the professor placed the hat on top of his head. After a few moments of silence the hat announced "HUFFLEPUFF!" in a loud booming voice that reached across the hall._

_The table on the far right erupted into cheers that drowned out the rest of the halls clapping._

"_Black, Sirius," Lily recognised the boy to be the one that didn't want to be in Slytherin that she had only met moments ago._

_There was a much longer wait than there had been for Lennard. Looking closely Lily could see that Sirius' eyes were closed tight with concentration and her was muttering under his breath. Eventually the hat opened its tattered mouth and announced the result "GRYFFINDOR!"_

_Lily found herself smiling and clapping along with the rest of the Gryffindor table. If a boy who seemed destined to be in Slytherin could be in Gryffindor then maybe she could be out in a house as well._

"_Crew, Kaydence," a very young and pretty girl pranced to the stool. Lily had never really liked pretty people. It wasn't because they were prettier than her, it was more of the fact that they knew they were pretty and they showed it off._

"_We better not be in her house," Mel said boldly. Lily nodded glad that she had found a friend that shared her thoughts._

"_GRYFFINDOR!"_

_Lily started to think again, she had wanted to be in Gryffindor but now that she looked at the other houses Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw looked just as inviting. The Slytherin table on the other hand had a cold sharp look to it's residence-_

"_Lily!" Mel was bumping Lily in a very urgent way._

_Lily looked up to McGonagall's stern face looking down at her, "Evans, Lily!" she called again._

_Lily's face burned as she trotted to the stool, how many times had the teacher been calling her name? Would it affect her housing results? She gripped the edge of the seat nervously as McGonagall put the hat on her head._

_She was soon to find that she had nothing to worry about. No sooner than the hat had touched her head the hat called "GRYFFINDOR!". Lily couldn't stop beaming as she ran down towards the welcoming table._

_She was in a house, the knowledge gave her a warm belonging feeling inside her. Now all she had to worry about was Mel getting into the same house as her. Five more names were called out before McGonagall finally called, "Jewels, Melissa."_

_Mel was wearing the same nervous expression that ever other student had worn so far on their way up to the stool._

_Mel spotted Lily sitting at the Gryffindor table and gave her a nervous smile. The hat took a few minutes to decide the house and with each passing Mel got paler and paler. But when the hat called "GRYFFINDOR!" she went a hot pink as the table cheered her._

_Lily quickly made a spot next to her for Mel to sit in before she continued to be a spectator to the rest of the sorting. The next name called out was a familiar one to Lily and when she saw him she got butterflies in her stomach._

"_Lupin, Remus," when Remus approached the stool with hands in his robe pockets, he walked with a kind of confidence. Lily couldn't help but admire it, she had always failed to hold such confidence especially now that she was part of a whole new world that she knew nothing about._

"_I hope he's in Gryffindor," Lily whispered to Mel._

"_Why do you fancy him?" Mel teased as her friend went slightly pink._

"_Of course not I only just met him today, he just seems nice is-" Lily was cut off by the sorting hat._

"_GRYFFINDOR!"_

_Lily noticed that Remus and Sirius seemed to be acquainted as Sirius hi-fived him and the sat together and began to talk openly._

_More names were called, among them being Mead, Mallor, Nott and Pettigrew the later being the only one out of the four to be placed in Gryffindor. After Peter Pettigrew Lily recognised the next name._

"_Potter, James," at the mention of his name Sirius and Remus were already cheering to which James gave them a thumbs up while McGonagall's back was turned, silencing the rowdy boys with her stern stare._

_Lily was amazed at the hat's quick judgement. She didn't even think the hat had touched the hair on his head when it screamed loudly, "GRYFFINDOR!"_

_It was clear that Remus and Sirius were cheering the loudest among the table as James strode down the isle bowing and winking at various pretty girls._

"_I already don't like him," Lily said very sure of herself._

_The feast had past so quickly and when it did Lily wished she could go back and make time go slower. The food had been like nothing she had ever tasted before in her life and the Gryffindor table demonstrated itself to be a very welcoming bunch._

"_I really like the look of the headmaster," Lily said to Mel as they climbed the stairs they had been directed to that lead to their dorms._

_Mel nodded enthusiastically, "My mum told me all about professor Dumbledore. She said he was the best Headmaster the school has ever had."_

_No sooner had they opened the door to their dorm than they were looking at the ground slightly winded._

"_I am so, so sorry!" said a feminine voice from on top of them. The girl quickly clambered off them, "I bounced a little too high and you know when you get to that certain altitude you have no control whatsoever over where you're going."_

_Despite the girls generous apologies she was smiling a white-toothed grin that seemed very friendly. Her steel blue eyes shone like little stars and her dark blonde hair was so messy it looked almost as frizzy as Mel's._

"_Kay Crew," she introduced. Lily recognised the name almost immediately. This was the girl who she had thought she would not get along with because of the way she had walked and flipped her hair. But the girl who was standing in front of her now seemed to be one of the friendliest faces Lily had come across._

"_Lily Evans," Lily smiled thinking she had just found another new friend, "And this is Melissa Jewels," she added when Mel failed to introduce herself, "So what kind of family do you come from?"_

_Kay stood with a confused expression on her face, not quite sure what Lily was talking about. But she soon caught on, "Half and Half, sort of."_

"_Sort of? You either are or you aren't," Mel said curtly._

"_Well, mum is half and half, but dad comes from a pure blood family but he's a squib."_

"_A squib?" Lily asked curiously, this was something she hadn't heard of before._

_Kay nodded proudly, "You see its when…"_

_Lily had found Kay's family stories very interesting and Kay visa versa. Mel had taken a little longer to warm up to Kay than Lily had, it was as though they were instant friends from the moment they were introduced._

_The first week of school flew by, the wonders of the magical school never failed to amaze Lily even after seeing them several times._

_One thing she would have to get used to though was the time slots. She had never been a morning person and having to get up at seven to have a good quality breakfast before classes was tougher than she had first thought it would be._

_That morning was one of those days. She ran down the hall she had memorized as the quickest way to the great hall. She only had half an hour until classes started and she still had to have breakfast._

_Without warning Lily seemed to be engulfed in a cloud of pink smoke that smelt rather pleasant. Once it had cleared she still wasn't quite sure of what had happened. As she looked around passers by seemed to be stopping and giggling at what seemed to be her._

_The first group of laughing students she picked out were four boys, the obvious culprits. James Potter and Sirius Black were laughing the loudest and giving each other high-fives while a smaller boy with blonder hair and water blue eyes, who Lily recognised to be Peter Pettigrew, fell to the floor looking at a loss for air. _

_The other boy Lily saw made her cheeks burn, Remus Lupin too was laughing with the other boys, leant against a wall holding his sides with laughter. That's when Lily took in that it hadn't just been an explosion of pink dust._

_She turned to a near coat of amour and looked into its silver chest plate. The sight she saw made her gasp. On top of her head were long white rabbit ears that flopped to the sides of her face. She had whiskers that sprouted from her cheeks and as if that wasn't enough her front teeth had doubled in length._

_She felt tears prickle her eyes and she sobbed covering her face, "Don't cry honey," Lily looked up to see James' arrogant smirk. She had thought he was going to say sorry until he handed her a carrot, "Have a carrot."_

_James' friends laughed even harder and Lily's cheeks got even redder, but the tears that were about to spill evaporated and her sobs turned into and angry yell, "Keep your sodding carrot Potter! I hate you!"_

_James only laughed at her as she returned to sobs and ran towards the nearest girls' bathroom with her hands still over her face._

* * *

"Lils?" Lily snapped out of her flashback when a pair of fingers snapped in front of her face. She saw Kay and Mel looking at her, Mel looking worried, and Kay giving her that wondering curious look.

"Huh?" Lily looked around her to find that they were sitting at the Gryffindor table and they were almost finished the sorting.

"You've been staring at the Marauders for over fifteen minutes now," Mel said a bit sternly. Anyone would think she was being bossy, but it was just something you had to get used to in Mel.

"Particularly one dark haired Quidditch player," Kay raised her eyebrows, her mischievous smile played across her lips.

"Just bad memories is all," Lily looked back at the Marauders seeing them all laughing about something Peter had just done.

"Lils, you've gotta get over that bunny rabbit thing."

"How can I? It was the most embarrassing moment in my WHOLE life!"

"Hey, what's wrong with rabbits? I've always dressed up as a rabbit for Halloween," Kay whined.

"Yeah but Lily isn't a slu-" Kay glared at Mel as Professor Dumbledore, who had stood at the front of the hall, interrupted Mel's criticism.

"Welcome to the new students of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I hope that your years at Hogwarts not only fill your head with knowledge, but also with joyful memories of loved ones and friends.

As for those who are back for their next year of Hogwarts, welcome back. The rules have stayed the same as always. For the new students, I shall quickly revise. The forest on the school grounds is out of bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to students under third year. You can also find a list of prohibited items on our caretaker, Mr Pringle's, office door. I think we've all had enough talking for now. So let's tuck it."

Dumbledore raised his hands and the tables were filed with delicious meals. There was a surprised and excited murmuring coming from the first years, but this was nothing new the older students.

Lily and Mel piled their plates with roast chicken and mashed potato, while Kay just grabbed a peach and munched on it contently.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Lily asked as she took a bite out of her chicken leg.

"No," Kay said simply, "I have to watch my weight. I had so much junk food over the- Oh is that lemon duck!"

Kay dropped her peach and helped her self to the glistening lemon coated duck.

After around fifteen minutes of just pigging out, the girls started talking again.

"I'm taking History of Magic, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Divination," Lily counted them off on her chicken covered fingers and then licked them clean.

Kay scrunched her nose up at Divination, "Divination is full of crap. Last year they told me I was going to die a painful, deadly death in three hours."

"I'm doing all the same as you Lils," Mel smiled looking down at her timetable.

"Same here, except for Divination. I'm taking Arithmancy with Professor Winter."

Lily stared at Kay dumbfounded, "You! You got into Arithmancy?"

"Yeah, weird isn't it?"

"I didn't even get into Arithmancy," Mel said grudgingly, she was supposed to be the smart one.

"Don't feel rejected Mel. I only just skimmed it. As with potions," Kay reassured.

Lily grimaced as she thought about Kay's potions skills. At least they'd been good enough to get her into Professor Slughorn's class this year. As for Lily's potions, she'd passed without having to try in the least.

"Well at least I got a high enough O.W.L to get into Transfiguration. I really need to focus on that subject," Lily leant on her elbows.

"Now, now Evans, don't worry not everyone can be as talented as me," the three girls looked up to see the Marauders standing behind them.

Mel shyly turned around to face her food again. But Lily stared James straight in the eye.

"I knew that Potter. So next time you want a Charms lessons you might have to put it a little more politely," Lily cocked her head and tried to smile politely. James was as bad in Charms as she was in Transfiguration.

"What are you taking this year?" James and Lily both turned their heads thinking the question was being fired at them.

"History of Magic, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Arithmancy," replied Remus to Kay. The two seemed oblivious to James and Lily's watching eyes.

James looked over to Peter who was flirting very poorly with Mel, "Guys!" James shouted arms spread wide, "This is not what we came here for. Obviously Padfoot is my only loyal friend."

Sirius smiled proudly and patted James on the back, "With you all the way Prongsie."

"Oh, I'm doing all those as well," Kay ignored James' annoyed shout.

"As in you got into Arithmancy?" Sirius left James who cocked his head to one side and stared at a blank spot on the wall, possibly imagining all his friends bursting into flames.

"Don't pay any attention to him. James and I are the only two of the four that got into Arithmancy. He has to do Divination with Peter," Remus whispered not at all quietly.

"Me and James Remus, Me and James," Sirius said pointedly.

Kay gave him a confused look.

"He's trying to teach me improper grammar."

"Are we done?" James yelled looking around at his 'mates'.

Remus and Sirius left Kay looking guilty. And Peter stood and left Mel reluctantly. Now all four boys were standing in the semi circle form that you usually saw them standing in.

"Down to business," James said take a breath of relief, "I'm going too give you this one year Evans."

"One year for what?" Lily had a feeling she knew where this was heading.

"One year to realise that you really do want me and that you agree to go out with me."

"Dream on Potter."

"C'mon Evans. It's so obvious your nuts for me. Opposites attract after all," James smirked at Lily's shocked face.

Lily's face went bright red with anger and Mel and Kay edged away. Lily stood up so she was at her full height. With her left hand she picked up a bowl of salad.

James looked at the salad bowl and then questioningly at Lily.

Lily raised her eyebrows and smacked the bowl on his head like a hat.

"See I just proved my point," he said, wiping some carrot out of his eyes.

"What point?" Lily hissed.

"That you so want me."

Lily's face went another shade darker. Kay and Mel shared the same knowing looks as they got up from their seats and jumped up after Lily who was storming out of the great hall.

"Was it something I said?" James watched as the fiery read head exited the hall.

Remus shook his head while Sirius had the same questioning look, "Don't think so, when have you ever said anything wrong?_**  
**_

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_**A/N: Thanks for reading my second chapter! YAY! Now please review! I'm open to suggestions. So please review! I reply to all!**_


	3. Alls Fair In Love And War

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_** A/N: Hardly any changes at all to this chapter but it's still different. I realised that out of all the 14 chapters I had already written at the time this chapter had the least amount of reviews, I think that might have been because the ending was so corny so I changed that. :)  
**_

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Chapter 3:

"I just don't get it," James appeared from the dorm bathroom wearing a towel around his waist, "What did I do to make her want to make me into part of tonight's salad?" He shook the excess water out of his hair.

"I dunno, maybe you said she had no choice but to go out with the person she hates most in all of Hogwarts?" Remus said staring at the bunk above his.

"When did I say that?"

"When you told her that you'd give her one year?" Peter suggested pointedly putting some books on top of his trunk so he would be able to find them in the morning, "Do you think Mel will take me back?"

"What has that got to do with Lily?" Remus sat up looking annoyed, "And why do we have to talk about Lily every hour?"

"Because you've already dated the whole bloody year and have no need to focus on getting a girl!" James said as though he already had the comeback thought up..

Remus looked away and gazed out the window pretending he'd seen something.

James shrugged at Peter.

Sirius cleared his throat looking down at his other three from his top bunk, "Once we are done I would be pleased to announce that I have just formed the first annual prank of the year!"

The three boys standing on the floor looked up at Sirius waiting for a more understandable declaration.

Sirius sighed, "I've formed a prank to play on Snape."

"Oh, yeah of course," the other three quarters of the Marauders mumbled.

Sirius jumped off his bed, "Ok here's the plan," he spread a large piece of parchment over James' bed.

"Wow it's so…" James tried to think of a word.

"Good?" suggested Peter.

"Complicated?" offered Remus.

"Unpadfootyish," James concluded.

"That's not even a word."

"And what's it supposed to mean," Sirius looked offended.

"Well, it's unlike you to think of something so convoluted, yet brilliant. Usually you stick to one or the other," James knew Sirius hated being called simple minded, but it wasn't often that he realised you were calling him simple minded if you used big words.

"Oh, thanks Prongs," Sirius smiled.

"So exactly what is it?" Peter asked staring at the scribbles and sketches.

"Ok so here's what we're going to do," Sirius started just before Remus cast a silencing charm over the door to their dorm. Sirius continued with his plan and James finished off the presentation with,

"So we'll commence plan 'The First Annual Snape Prank' after lunch in the dungeon hall tomorrow," and he removed the silencing charm .

"It's brilliant, nothing could go wrong," Remus grinned folding the piece of parchment and handing it back to its creator.

**The Next Day**

"How much longer is this going to take?" whined Remus leaning against the wall.

"Mooney settle down, you've always been the patient one. Besides it should be any minute now, Snivellus is always the first to potions," James spoke through gritted teeth.

Why he was doing this was because he was holding a rope, which was attached to the roof, which was magically attached to a bulge of something that didn't look at all heavy, though you would be surprised.

"Prongs, why do you sound like you're holding up a building?" Peter asked holding onto the limp end of the rope.

"Because this stuff is heavier than we intended it to be."

"Shh someone's coming!" Sirius bolted round the corner jumping behind the suit of armour with the rest of his friends.

Sure enough, just as Sirius had said, footsteps were sounding down the hallway.

"Ready mate?" Sirius patted James on the back, who only nodded in reply, "Wormtail, you do the countdown."

"5…4…3…2," Peter smiled as he counted down for James to let go of the rope.

"Wait!" Remus cried seeing who was coming round the corner.

"1!" Peter finished.

James let go of the rope thankfully. But didn't like what he heard next.

"Lils watch out!" said a familiar voice.

"Crap," Sirius said as he watched the action unfolding in front of them.

Lily screamed as a bulge of something white as shiny slammed down on top of her. When she could open her eyes she smelt the familiar smell of shampoo and conditioner.

"Potter!" She yelled taking a step forward.

"Evans, don't move!" James yelled trying to stop her but she'd already triggered the next level of their prank.

"Ahhh!" Lily was swallowed whole within a blink of an eye by a bubble of water that had emerged from the ground.

"Potter, Black! What did you do?" Kay screamed pointing her wand at them threateningly while Mel danced underneath the bubble that contained Lily.

"Get me out of here!" squealed Lily as she was being tossed around in the water filled bubble, though it sounded more like, "Gebble oub ob blear!"

"Don't worry your bonnie little head Crew," Sirius smirk, "The worst it will do is make her clean."

James didn't even respond, he was just watching as Lily was tossed about like a rag.

"Can she breathe?" Mel panted to Peter.

"Pretty soon she should be able too," Peter winced, it looked frightening being locked inside a bubble.

"Soon!" Mel and Kay screamed at the same time.

As their scream died, the water that surrounded Lily seemed to evaporate into steam.

"Now she's being steam dried," Remus stated.

"We can see the obvious Remus!" Kay didn't seem to be able to lower her voice from a holler.

The rest of the potions class seemed to be coming round the corner now. Everybody seemed to stop at the sight of Lily Evans being tumble and steam dried in a giant bubble.

Most of the Slytherins burst into laughter, laughing the hardest was Severus Snape.

As soon as it had started it stopped. And when it stopped, the bubble burst. It popped leaving nothing but air between Lily and the three-metre drop to the ground.

James used his Quidditch reflexes to dive under Lily letting her land heavily on him. There was silence for a second except for Lily's heavy breathing.

"Lils! Are you ok?" Kay finally knelt beside Lily. She looked fine, at least that meant it would save her _some_ embarrassment.

The next sound that echoed through the halls was the sound of Lily's hand passing over James' face. She'd slapped him so hard James thought his face was going to explode. He bit his lip and clutched his cheek. Hoping he wasn't about to cry in front of the Slytherins.

"Come on Evans, I thought girls were supposed to enjoy nice long baths?" James said trying to cover up the sting of the slap with something he hoped was witty.

Lily got up without a word and stormed the rest of the way down the hall with Kay and Mel at heel.

"Nice try Potter," sneered Snape at the boy sitting at his feet, "What's wrong, did the mudblood hurt the 'Mighty Potter'? What you gonna do, cry about it?"

James bit his lip harder as he felt the anger rising. But before he did anything about it Sirius stepped in between them.

"Back off Snivelly," Sirius warned raising his wand.

"Or what?"

"Or you won't be waking up with the same nose you were born with."

"Not that, that would be a bad thing," James added, getting to his feet.

Snape had pulled his wand out of his pocket as well, but a cough interrupted their inter-house duel.

"I hope you two weren't planning to actually hex each other with those wands," Professor Slughorn said expressionlessly.

The two reluctantly lowered their wands, still holding deathly glares.

"Now would the rest of my potions class enter the room and start reading page two hundred and sixty of 'Magical Drafts and Potions'," Professor Slughorn kept his gaze on Sirius and Snape, "You two stay. I want a word."

As they walked into the dungeon James caught Remus smiling at him, "What?"

"I hate to tell you this Prongs, but…" he shrugged and let Peter finish.

"It looks like you have a hand that's been spray painted in red on your cheek."

"Gee thanks guys," James felt the spot again, it still tingled. _Merlin, Evans has a good arm._

"It's what we're here for."

James spotted Lily almost immediately. She was sitting at the very front of the classroom with Kay and Mel on either side of her. She had already opened to the page they were studying and was in her own little world now.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?" James asked drearily as he sat down at the back of the class leaving and open seat for Sirius.

"Has she forgiven you for the rabbit thing yet?" Remus pulled out his book.

"What rabbit thing?"

"Then no. She isn't going to forgive you. Not for a very, very, very, very, very long time."

James sighed and pulled out his book as well.

_Acromantula venom is almost impossible to collect from a living Acromantula, the venom dries out not long after an Acromantula death, so the venom may fetch as much as __1000 Galleons__ a pint. _

James had actually been reading the section on Acromantula venom very intently until he was interrupted but the sound of a chair screeching next to him.

He looked up to see Sirius, who he thought would immediately start firing off the accusations Slughorn had just been telling him.

But for once he was wrong about his friend, "You right Padfoot?"

"Yeah fine," Sirius pulled out his book, but realising James was going to ask the question about what happened outside he saved him the hassle.

"He just said some crap about being more responsible and having more respect."

James nodded and went back to his book, but soon after Professor Slughorn cleared his throat at the front of the class.

Once he had all the students' eyes on him he began talking, "We are going to be making the Unctuous Unction. Can anybody tell me who the creator of this potion is?"

Lily almost immediately raised her hand.

"Yes Miss Evans?"

"Gregory the Smarmy, sir." Lily answered.

"Very good, very good, five points for Gryffindor. For a bonus, would you also be able to tell me what the effect of Mr Gregory's potion is?"

"Unctuous Unction persuades the drinker that the giver is his or her very best friend."

"Very, very good Miss Evans! Five more points for Gryffindor," He announced happily.

"Now I shall divide you into pairs and we shall begin work. Everts with Snape, Crew and Black, Evans with," _(Oh god not Potter not Potter)_, "Lupin, Jewels with Pettigrew, Isabel Candy and Potter…" He went through the whole class and took about five minutes for everyone to find a spot.

Lily sat silently facing Remus while he read the ingredients on the board. He look so aim to start the potion, it was nice that he was smart and also had a good sense of humour. He snapped Lily out of her gaze when he asked her cautiously, "Well I'll go get the ingredients shall I?"

Lily nodded absent-mindedly. She looked over to Mel who was looking just as absent-minded. She looked over at Kay and had to laugh.

"Black!" Kay moaned with her head in her hands, "Would you just look me in the eye and promise me you will NOT stuff this up."

"How can I look you in the eye when you're looking down. Besides I won't stuff it up YOU'LL stuff it up," Sirius snapped.

"ME? I'm not the one that's in bloody detention every other day!" Kay's voice was rising in volume and pitch like it did when she got really annoyed.

"Yeah well, I'm not the one that skimmed the edge of this class by one point in their O.W.Ls!"

Kay shoved the table back with such force when she got out of her seat to get the ingredients that she wedged Sirius in between his chair and the table.

Lily looked back over to Mel who was smiling at the mini show as well while Peter got their ingredients.

She looked around the rest of the room. The two potions nerds Snape and Everts were already half way through.

Finally her gaze landed on James. He was sitting looking down and the tabletop while Candy spoke about her latest date.

Lily felt her heart ache but then she remembered who she was thinking about and she hoped he felt bad for what he did to her. Though he did look like he deeply regretted it.

"And so then we broke up," Candy finished bouncily flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder.

"What a shame," James noted deadpan. _Was Evans just looking at me?_

"You're thinking of that Evans girl again," Candy smiled knowingly.

"No," James snorted and tried to look like he didn't know what she was talking about, "Why would I be thinking about her when I have a beautiful girl, like yourself, sitting right in front of me?"

"Oh James you are such a suck up."

"Only in the best ways possible."

"What are you looking at?" Remus sat back in front of Lily making her jump.

"Nothing," she covered quickly tearing her eyes away from James, "Got all the ingredients?"

"Yep, you ready to start? You are the expert."

Lily blushed, did he really think she was that good at potions? She had almost forgotten for a minute that Remus wasn't the best at potions. He was smart and good at all his classes, but potions was one of his least strongest points. Though, he excelled in a few of the potions they'd made over the years.

"Umm ok," Lily started reading out how much of what to put in and she stirred it. With five minutes to go their potion was more or less the right colour and texture.

"I think it's successful enough," Remus smiled satisfied, Lily noticed he had a very nice smile.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Remus asked, his smile dropping slightly as he nodded his head, indicating towards Sirius and Kay who were whispering dangerously to each other.

Lily turned to see her friend, she had to admit Kay looked very pissed off. She noticed that Mel, Peter and James were watching too. Apparently Sirius was looking pissed off too.

Over at Sirius and Kay's table they were the only two aware of what they were talking about.

"Peacock blue does that look peacock blue Black?" Kay whispered dangerously, trying not to burst into shouts in the middle of class.

"I'm not the one giving the instructions. I did exactly what you said," Sirius answered matching her tone.

"It's always my fault isn't it Black? Why can't you just accept that you actually screwed up! Just admit it Black!"

"Why do you call me by my last name?"

"What?" Kay said thrown slightly off track by Sirius' sudden change in argument.

"Would it hurt to call me Sirius for once? I can understand you calling James, Potter, he broke your heart, but what have I done? And I know Peter did something that made you lose your respect for him. But me! What have I done? I just don't get you. Just bloody call me by my first name! You call Remus by his first name."

"Don't bring Remus into this."

"See, there you go. What makes Remus so special?"

"Don't," Kay looked guiltily at the wall.

"Maybe you're just jealous."

"Of what? That you're cocky, arrogant, naïve?" both of them were standing now inches apart.

"Jealous of all the other girls that I've asked out. And you missed out. Or maybe you're trying to get my attention," Kay was looking at him in disgust, " You just want a piece of Sirius Black, just like the rest of the school," Sirius concluded with a cocky and satisfied smile.

The whole class was watching now and even though they still couldn't hear what they were saying it looked personal.

Lily felt angry with Sirius, she didn't know why, but when she looked at Kay she could see how she was feeling. Kay's eyes always showed her expression. There was a little flame that was burning that showed that she was angry down to her bones. Lily also saw other expressions in the steel blue eyes that didn't show often. She saw, regret, sadness, hurt, and embarrassment. While looking at Kay's eyes she saw another rare sight, a tear prickling the edge.

Lily guessed Sirius had seen this too because his smile faded quickly and he looked disappointed in himself.

Kay closed her eyes tight and pushed the cauldron over, it splashed over the sides of the table as she ran out the dungeon door slamming it behind her.

Sirius slumped back into his seat pretending nothing had happened while he brushed the spilt potion off his robes and books.

"Class dismissed," Slughorn announced, sounding like he hadn't noticed the argument.

Lily forgot all about Remus and cleaning up her cauldron, her first priority was to go find Kay. No doubt she would have gone to one of the girls' bathrooms, that's where any of them went when they needed time alone.

It didn't take them long. They heard a moaning coming from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom that didn't quite sound like Myrtle.

"And people say I'm noisy," Myrtle said huffily as Lily and Mel entered.

"Kay?" Lily rushed over and put an arm around her weeping friends shoulders as she sat in the corner.

"What did he say?" Mel asked lightly not wanting to hit a soft spot.

"Something he had no right to say," Kay growled, "Arrogant bastard. How could he ever think that I'd like someone like him? And all because of his stupid last name."

"The Marauder's have always hurt us. Whether it's pranking us or breaking our hearts. We can't keep letting them do this to us. From now on whenever they hurt us we're going to hurt them back," Lily said in all seriousness.

Kay nodded in agreement, but then paused at a thought, "But what about Remus? He's done hardly anything to us?"

"Umm not to you he may not have," Mel pointed out, "But he slipped a babbling serum into Lily's Pumpkin juice and made fun of me all through the second year. Peter on the other hand, he's sweet."

"He's a freak! And besides he found my diary and threatened to post it on the Gryffindor board before I hexed him until he surrendered."

"Guys, we've all had a bad encounter with all of them at least once. Mel, Peter stole your bag and hid it in the boys' bathroom," Lily reminded Mel meaningfully, "and Kay, Remus hung your bra off the Entrance Hall board last year!" Kay looked like she was thinking hard trying to remember if that was Remus or Sirius.

"Fine, but as long as no one gets hurt," Mel finally submitted.

"Oh but where's the fun in that," Kay said jokingly, which was her way of saying "I'm in".

Lily smiled mischievously, "No one will get _physically_ hurt, but I can't promise that there won't be any broken prides."

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_**A/N: Thanks for reading please review. I had SO much fun writing this chapter. And now the REAL story starts. The one that I've been planning this whole time! MUHAHAHA! Special thanks to my editor Moonlight Honeysuckle.**_


	4. Secret Plans

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_** A/N: Ok MAJOR changes to story line start in THIS chapter! So for all of you who have read the old version of the story I suggest you restart!**_

* * *

Chapter 4: 

"How could I be such a bastard?" Sirius had his head under his pillow and had been saying things like this for the past half hour.

"It's not your fault Padfoot. She provoked you," reasoned James.

"No I had no right to say what I did."

"Which would be?" Remus asked without looking up from his Charms homework.

There was silence, which was odd because this particular boys dorm was rarely ever quiet.

"It can't have been as bad as when you called Patricia Adams a hairy bitch in French while she was standing right behind you," Peter picked the pillow off Sirius' head and threw it to the end of his bed.

"No, but it was more the way I said it, and how she responded, that made me feel bad. I probably shouldn't even worry about it," rubbing his eyes Sirius grabbed the pillow and shoved it back on top of his head.

"Well we can't help if we don't know what it was you said," Remus finally put down his quill and sat looking at where Sirius' eyes would be.

Sirius sat up and looked at Remus, "How come she calls you by your first name? Did you do something special for her when you went out?"

A light bulb went on inside James' head, "Hey when did you go out with Lily?"

"Third year. She had a crush on me," Remus provided. At these words James mouth dropped open, "But I'm pretty sure she doesn't anymore," he added quickly.

"Don't avoid my question," Sirius stood up, "What makes you so special that you get to have her call you Remus and not Lupin?"

Remus only flopped on his back and sighed.

"We won't judge you for it Mooney," Peter reassured sitting on the end of his friend's bed.

"No but you're going to kill me for not telling you."

"He's got a point we probably will," James looked thoughtful.

"C'mon Mooney," Sirius pleaded, "I need to know."

"Why do you need to know?" Remus sat up looking suddenly annoyed. His friends retreated slightly.

"That's my own business."

"Yeah well this is my business."

"Mooney we won't care. We're the Marauder's we stick together. We won't care if you did…" James trailed off slightly raising one eyebrow suggestively.

"No! Nothing like that," Remus relaxed and was laughing slightly.

"Well then you can tell us."

"At least tell us what you did when you were going out to get her respect. Please," Sirius made big puppy dog eyes at his friend.

Remus sat looking perplexed for a few seconds, wondering if he really should tell his friends, "I just help her out is all."

"Help her out in what ways?" Peter pressed.

"Homework and stuff, nothing important."

There was another round of silence, "He's lying," James concluded folding his arms.

"I'm very aware he is Prongsie, and we all know what we do when people lie to us," Sirius stood next to James, arms crossed in the same fashion.

"Come on guys, it really isn't that- hey!" Remus was tackled onto the floor, "Come on guys please don't, you know what I'm like."

"And that's what makes this form of torture all the more fun," James said flexing his fingers while Sirius held down Remus' arms and Peter his legs.

There was an eruption of uncontrollable laughter from Remus as James began tickling him, "No-please-stop! I'll tell you!" Remus said between laughs. James stopped the tickle torture but didn't allow Sirius or Peter to let down their restraints just in case Remus tried to make a run for it.

"Marauders honour I am just helping her with school work and have been since we went out."

"There is no Marauders honour," James and Sirius stated.

"Right, well, then I swear on the full moon."

"I'd take that as honesty wouldn't you Padfoot?" James reasoned letting his friend up from the floor.

* * *

"So how long exactly did you and Pettigrew go out for?" Lily asked Mel as she brushed her hair. 

"Well almost all of last year, maybe from second term onwards. And I only didn't tell you because I knew if I told you, you would tell Kay because you guys tell each other everything, and Kay would just make fun of me and tell everyone else."

"Oh she's not THAT cruel."

Kay came out of the bathroom followed by a cloud of steam. As she entered the room she sneezed, "You know people believe that when you sneeze for no reason it means people are talking about you," Lily stated mater-of-factly.

"Well it better not be Black and those bloody Marauders," said in almost a snarl.

"He probably just likes you," Mel reasoned. When Kay gave her a disbelieving look she was quick to add, "When a guy likes a girl it's thought that they will do everything they can to annoy her."

"Why do I feel so rejected by love right now? Mel had a long term boyfriend, Black likes Kay," Lily sighed..

"Because no boys in this school have the guts to ask out the most gorgeous girl in 6th year!" Kay explained as though it was so obvious.

"There is no way I am the prettiest girl in the 6th year. What about Candy Isabel?" Lily complained.

"She may have blonde hair and blue eyes but she's as smart as a goldfish. And have you seen the size of her lips? Yuck!"

"Anyone would give anything to look like you Lily," Mel sighed.

"Ok enough about me," Lily held up her hands, "What's our first move going to be crew?"

"I don't know! How am I supposed to work it out on my own? You and Mel are the smart ones," Kay whined.

"I meant crew as in a sailing crew or something like that," Lily smiled.

"Oh, well, to make it easier can I just be agent K? And Mel's agent M and you're agent L."

"Ok I suppose it will work."

"I got one!" Mel jumped up suddenly.

"What? A fly?" Kay asked oblivious.

"No. A plan," Mel smiled.

"I knew I could count on you agent M!" Lily gave Mel a hi-five, "So what's the plan?"

"Well I thought we'd start out with simple. That way they'll under estimate us. And they might go easy on us seeing as we're girls. And when they've let their guard down we'll hit them hard where it hurts!"

"In the nuts?" Kay winced.

"Nope, in those big pompous, over inflated reputations," Lily smiled evilly.

* * *

"How long?" James banged on the bathroom door. 

"Not long, I'm just doing my teeth," Remus replied from the bathroom.

"No how long did you go out with Lily for?"

"Three weeks."

"Did you kiss her?"

There was a silence that made James' stomach drop, "She tried to."

"What!"

"Like I said she liked me. She tried to kiss me on our last date, but I knew you'd commit suicide if you ever found out. So I rejected her. And then I told her about you, and she said it might be better if we broke it off then. And then she just left."

"So she broke it off with you?"

"Sure did," Remus finally emerged from the bathroom.

James couldn't help but smile. Lily Evans had broken up with her boyfriend for James' sake. Or that's what he liked to believe anyway. But he quickly dropped his smile when he saw Remus looking at him suspiciously, "What do you mean you told her about me?"

"I told her that you were absolutely obsessed with her and that I couldn't keep betraying you like I was."

"What! I am not obsessed with her! Now she's going to think I'm in love with her or something."

"Well aren't you?"

"No!"

"Have you ever actually kissed a girl Mooney?" Sirius' muffled voice sounded through his pillow.

There was a short silence in which Remus went a little pink and James answered for him, "I'm going to take that as a no."

"I have so!" Remus blurted quickly.

"Then who?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Sirius and James thought about it for a second and about how many girls Remus had dated, "No."

Sirius sat up abruptly, "Why didn't you just tell us in the first place?"

"Tell you what?"

"One that you went out with Evans and two that you went out with Crew," Peter listed off on his fingers.

"I don't know. I guess it was because I thought you'd break us up in some way."

"Why would we do that? If you were happy there'd be no way we would," Peter exclaimed.

Remus gave them a doubtful look, "Peter why did Heather break up with you?"

"Because James said I had a disease."

"Sirius, why did you break up with your first girlfriend?"

"Because you where about to tell her about my other girlfriend Johanna."

"And James, why did Candy break up with you?"

"Because Sirius sprung us in a closet and told us that I had to come to bed so I could fall asleep before the lights went out so I didn't get scared," James sent a glare in Sirius' direction.

"I have proved my point."

"Why do you care so much about Crew anyway Padfoot?" James lifted the pillow off his friend's head.

"Yeah it's not like you like her right?" Peter exited the room to grab the bathroom.

There was another silence for the third time that night. This time it was cancelled out by James' eruption of laughter.

"Crew! You like Crew?" he leant against the door trying to catch his breath.

"Shut it Prongs, I don't," Sirius pointed his finger at his still breathless friend, "Prongs I'm warning you," the laughter continued, "I bloody don't! Ok that's it!"

Sirius leapt off his bed and tackled James through the door, which was indecently open. The two boys tumbled down the staircase until they had reached the common room.

"Get off me you fat lard," James laughed shoving Sirius off him.

"I bloody don't like her," Sirius said dangerously, but still couldn't keep a straight face when James was laughing contagiously like he was.

"Is everything ok boys?" the two in question looked over to the girls' staircase and saw Lily, Mel and Kay looking down at them.

"No I think I broke my arm," Sirius faked pain.

"Good for you Black," Kay commented pretending to be happy.

James tried to get up but found that his ankle crumbled under him, "Ah," he stumbled not quite faking the pain Sirius had with his arm.

"You right Potter?" Lily had taken a step down but went back again when he looked up at her surprised.

"I'll be right. C'mon Padfoot, I got Quidditch tomorrow and I can't go like this. To the hospital wing!" James helped himself up using Sirius' arm.

"Can you walk or do I need to give you a piggy back?" Sirius pretended to look worried and tried to lift James up onto his back. This resulted in another tumbling accident.

"Idiot," James mumbled getting up again.

"Hey I can't be beautiful and smart at the same time!" Sirius' voice trailed out of the portrait as he and James left.

"Okay then!" Kay turned to Lily, "What was that?"

"I dunno I suppose they were wrestling and fell out the door," Lily replied still looking at the portrait hole.

"No not that!" Kay said in disbelief.

"She means about the 'You right Potter?' and making your way down to se him," Mel explained.

"It was nothing," Lily insisted. Her friends' looks were unnerving. _Why do they have to be so good at this staring part,_ "If anything I was just tempting him."

"Good plan," Mel responded, "Tempt them close then rip the carpet out from under their feet."

Kay squealed in excitement, "This is going to be the best year of my life!"

As they turned to re-enter their dorm another voice came from across the room, "Have you three seen our missing maniacs?"

They turned again to see Remus at the top of his own staircase.

"Umm," Lily began, she didn't want to say anything to blunt, Remus' questioning look was very unnerving.

"Hospital wing," Kay said simply.

Remus nodded and turned to go back to his dorm but Kay stopped him, "Remus I need to talk to you," Kay jumped down the staircase to meet him at the end of it.

Remus frowned but went to meet her.

Mel tapped her foot impatiently before deciding to leave and went back into the dorm, though Lily stayed to watch the couple at the bottom of the staircase.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked standing only centimetres away from Kay so that he was looking down at her.

"It's just that," Kay started, but after that Lily couldn't hear anymore as Kay had dropped her voice to a whisper.

Lily could see Remus' face and it wore a very amused expression as he laughed out loud, "I'm pretty sure that's a definite no," he said talking normally again.

"How could it possibly be a definite no? It's either a possible no or a definite no," Kay said punching him in the arm.

Lily could feel a pang of jealousy, how was it that Kay could walk up to any guy and just talk to him. And the way she talked was as though she was put on permanent flirt mode. She turned and walked back into the dorm where Mel was already sitting on a bed.

"Where'd you go Lils?" Mel asked but not looking up from her homework.

"Have you ever noticed how Remus and Kay are very friendly to each other considering how she and the other Marauders react to each other?"

Mel chewed the end of her quill thoughtfully before replying, "No not really, Kay flirts with everyone, even if she doesn't like them," she looked up at Lily, "She would tell us if she was dating him though."

Lily relaxed a little, "Yeah I know she would. She can't keep a secret from us even if it were to save a life."

"Why is it so important anyway? It's just Kay and just Remus. Unless of course there was personal interest in ones love life?" Mel said the last sentence more of a question directed at Lily.

"Why would be interested in Remus' love life," Lily quickly blurted, "He's just another Marauder. And you guys know that I have been so over him since third year."

Mel shrugged as Kay re-entered the room looking as though she was almost bursting with excitement.

"I have a plan it goes along with Mel's structure. Seeming very poor and simple. It's very basic and non-original. But, It's exactly what we want."

"Ok then write it down," hurried Lily, forgetting all about her queries about Remus. Why did all her friends have to have a certain ability to carry things on, especially when it involved the Marauders?

"Ok so tomorrow is the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, first Quidditch match of the year. I think we should strike then."

"Why's that?" Mel concentrated on the writing Kay was doing pointing out all the spelling errors.

"Because they're all involved some way or another. Sirius is a beater, James is a chaser, Remus does the commentary and Peter is… What is Peter?"

"The water boy."

"Yeah he's the water boy. And that will come in handy too."

"Ok, ok we get the idea, just what is it!" Lily burst, not wanting to wait any longer.

"Keep your knickers on Lils, I'm getting there," Kay looked amused at her friends impatient glares.

* * *

_**A/N: This chapter may have been a bit boring but I'm getting somewhere promise. All stories have at least one or two boring bits! But please continue reading and reviewing. Special thanks again to my editor Moonlight Honeysuckle and my reviewers: Midnight Filly, Mad Over Mooney and forest-valentine. Please continue what you are doing, you are making a person very happy!**_


	5. Quaffels, Bludgers and Water barrels

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: No real major changes, I couldn't help to notice that it was very short so I tried my hardest to make it longer without dragging it out meanlessly (if that is a word) and without adding useless fillers. **_

* * *

Chapter 5: 

"Go, go Gryffindor!" the yells from the common room had started at 6 am and had ceased to falter yet, much to the displeasure of the few not so Quidditch loving people. Among them was Lily Evans, her head shoved under a pillow.

"Lils come on! They're heading down to the pitch now," cried Kay from the doorway while Mel shook Lily roughly. Both were dressed in maroon robes with their Gryffindor scarves around their necks and holding flags with a roaring lion on them.

"One more hour," Lily groaned waving a hand in Mel's face.

"Lily if you don't get up now we're going to miss the game AND our first prank," Mel said while ripping the sheets off Lily's bed.

"Fine," Lily sat up grudgingly and got dressed, "Be happy I'm not a slow dresser."

"Ok, ok we're happy. Now let's go!"

The three girls made their way down to the pitch giggling and chatting evilly about their plot to humiliate the Marauders. The girls knew that they didn't have the experience or natural born gift for pranking that the Marauders had, so the least they could do is pretend they were actually trying to do a bad job.

"We are never going to find a seat in this," moaned Kay looking around at the crowd.

"Over there!" Lily spotted three seats behind the Gryffindor goal posts, "Not the best but it won't matter."

"Not to you it won't, we still enjoy our Quidditch," mumbled Kay as she sat down.

"It's not my fault broomsticks disgust me."

"Only because you're scared of heights," mentioned Mel.

"Why do you have to point out the things in my life that make it horrible?"

"Fears are easy to get over; you've just got to face them."

"Even going up stairs makes me feel queasy. And it doesn't help when they move."

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" a voice called out over the packed Quidditch pitch, "Welcome to the first game of the season with Gryffindor vs. Slytherin! Let's welcome our competing teams shall we?

"First up we have the Gryffindor team," Remus introduced all of the players on the Gryffindor team. It was easy to spot Sirius and James as they were showing off as they usually did. A few twirls here, a couple of waves to their fans there.

"Don't they make you want to throw up?" Lily commented in disgust. Mel and Kay nodded in agreement but stayed fixed as the team flew past their end of the pitch.

"And next let's welcome the other competitors for the day, Slytherin," a quarter of the stadium was filled with cheers, but it was over run by the other three quarters that were booing like mad.

"And now that our teams are ready Madam Hooch will begin the game," there was silence as the two team captains met in the middle with Madam Hooch.

A piercing whistle blew and the Quaffel was thrown into the air, as it did so the crowd erupted into cheers and shouts again.

"And the Quaffel starts out in Gryffindor's possession, in the capable hands of Wilson making a quick pass to Larson, back to Wilson. But ouch he drops it right into the hands of Slytherin's captain McGrath," as Remus commentated the girls slyly plotted the rest of their plan.

"So when should we hit? Mel asked excitement making her bounce in her seat.

"As soon as possible!" Lily stood but was stopped by Kay.

"No, wait until we're ahead by a little bit. We don't want to ruin the game."

Lily sighed and sat again. She didn't give a rat's hairy arse about if they won or lost. It was just some crummy cup for the end of the year.

"The Quaffel is now back in the grasps of Gryffindor and Wilson is making a b-line for the goals. Pierce is gaining ground, or air I should say, on him though. But Black saves the day by blocking Pierce with the bludger. Nice hit there mate."

"When can we strike then?" Lily whined she hated watching the boring Quidditch games as it was.

"Once we're around," Kay looked thoughtful for a moment, "forty points ahead."

"Forty!"

"It's only four goals Lil. It won't take long for our team to conquer," Mel reassured.

"And Wilson scores a goal! Ten points to the mighty Gryffindor!"

There was another explosion of cheers and boos from the surrounding crowd as the scores went up ten nil to Gryffindor.

"Looks like our Mr James Potter has found something better to do," Remus sighed when he saw James stop beside the seats and start flirting with Faretti Bullock. "Potter! How about some teamwork? Get back in the game!"

James sent Faretti a wink before dodging off into the middle of the pitch where he made small talk with Sirius, who was waiting for another bludger.

It was then he saw Lily sitting behind the goals and decided to do a few flips just for show. Making a few watching girls in the crowd all laugh.

"And Gryffindor makes another goal! Ha take that Slytherin! You should probably give up now. What has it been, a decade? Since you last beat us in Quidditch. It's completely hopeless just give up now!"

There was a sound from the speaker that sounded like someone was trying to take the microphone off Remus.

"I'm sorry professor I'll be good, promise. Phew that was a close one. Back to the game. Hey Potter I know we're winning and all but do you think we might win a little quicker if you actually put effort into it?"

James looked over to the commentating box and gave Remus a casual shrug before spinning off on his broom to help his team captain avoid the Slytherins.

"So what has Peter being water boy got to do with the plan?" Lily asked in bemusement.

"Well actually nothing, but it will help pranking him. See since they're in separate areas we have to prank them separately," Kay explained.

"Yeah, though," Mel tried to think of something to correct, there had to be something, there was always something.

"Smart isn't a good look for you Kay. It's creepy," Lily pretended to cringe.

"I know," moaned Kay, "Next time you guys come up with something. I hate being smart."

After another half hour Remus finally announced, "The score is now forty ten to Gryffindor."

"There we've got forty points can we go?" Lily said getting agitated.

"No I said forty points ahead! We're only thirty points ahead now," Kay explained.

"Let's go now," Mel sighed, "I'm getting bored."

"Yes Kay let's go now!" Lily stood up, "Who do want? I bags Potter," She smiled evilly.

"Mel you take Pettigrew and I'll take Re… Lupin," Kay corrected herself.

"What about Black?"

"You may do the honours Lils."

"Ok on the count of three. One, two, three!" cried Mel and the three girls pointed their wands at their specimens.

"And it looks like Mr Black is having a problem with one of the bludgers. Black, what the hell are you doing?" Remus called out over the mike as Sirius was continuously beating a bludger away from him. But it kept coming back at him.

"And Potter seems to have caught hold of the Quaffel. And he's about to score, but throws a dummy, and another and another. I think we get the point Potter you can actually score us a point now."

James turned to the commentating box and spread his fingers and shook his hand to show that he wasn't holding onto the Quaffel. Some fellow chasers gave James an annoyed look thinking it was his idea of being funny. A Slytherin chaser swooped at James attempting to snatch the Quaffel off the younger player but ended up taking James with him.

James yelled as he was snatched off his broom and was hanging from nothing but the Quaffel that the Slytherin was still holding onto. All houses on the viewing stands roared with laughter at the show before them.

"Umm, the professor would like to advise Mr Bleachly to 'Please not let go of the Quaffel and land ASAP to allow Mr Potter to the ground unharmed'," Remus quoted from a very frustrated looking professor McGonaggal.

"Maybe some water will help. Potter, go see the water boy."

James was delivered to the ground safely but it seemed that as soon as his feet hit the ground the Quaffel didn't want to go in the direction he did and was beginning to drag him across the field much to James' displeasure.

Peter who was supposed to be fetching the water seemed to have disappeared. If you looked closely at the water barrel though, you could see it slightly rocking.

"What the f- I'm sorry professor I didn't mean…" Remus was cut off by a loud crackle and fizzing.

Everyone on the stands groaned and covered their ears. There was chaos on the field as all the players stopped to look about them, wondering whether or not to continue playing.

"SILENCE!" McGonagall's magnified voice pierced the noise of groans and squeals the microphone had caused.

"Now, I shall be commentating for the rest of this game. Would you be so kind Mr Potter to remove the Quaffel from your hand?"

"But," James started.

"No buts, just do as I say."

Lily flicked her wand and the Quaffel dropped off James' hand leaving an astonished look on his face.

"Thank you, and Mr Black, just hit the bludger one way or other and get rid of it."

Lily flicked her wand again and the bludger went off on its usual random course.

"Now Mr Lupin could you be so kind as to tell me what it is you did to the microphone?"

"I didn't do anything!" Remus cried in bewilderment as the microphone gave one last ear aching crackle as Kay waved her wand and it stopped.

"Thank you," McGonagall said giving him a suspicious look, "Now you may continue the game."

Mel waited another second before removing her charm. The water barrel tipped over spilling the water, along with a very wet and disgruntled looking Peter.

No sooner than the game was restarted it was finished.

"Potter has scored another point for Gryffindor so that the score is fifty-twenty to Gryffindor. And it appears that Chardonnay has caught the snitch for Gryffindor leaving a win of two hundred to twenty to Gryffindor."

The crowd cheered like nothing strange had even happened on the field and all started filling themselves out of the stands to go back to their common rooms. The Gryffindors were the fastest to get out, soon the winner's party would start and everyone wanted a head start on the snacks.

Lily, Kay and Mel were the last to leave the stands, "That was hilarious!" Lily crowed.

"Why have we never done this before?" Mel laughed hanging off Lily's left arm.

"The look on their faces was priceless, especially Potter's. I knew this would be the best year of our lives," Kay said leaning on Lily's other arm for support.

"Do you think they'll figure out it was us?"

"Nah they're not that smart," Lily said screwing up her nose, "We'll have to give them a little push in the right direction."

"At the party?" Kay's eyes lit up thinking about all the attention they'd get, "Just think of it, we could gain a new title, 'The Girls Who Pranked The Marauders'."

"Yeah why not. It won't hurt us to have a little acknowledgement."

* * *

_**A/N: I know this chapter is shorter than my others. But I'm not so good on the subject of Quidditch and so I thought I should make short and sweet. The BIGGEST thanks, to my editor Moonlight Honeysuckle who saved my neck. In the last chapter, if you read it before I fixed it, I mentioned that James was a chaser. My deepest apologies don't know what came over me. I have fixed that and as you have read he is now back to being in his spot as seeker. Thanks again to the few that have reviewed. And please continue doing so!**_

_**Grey Mustang**_


	6. Drunken Words Not Meant To Hurt

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: Ok so no major changes but there is a big one. The story would still end the same without it though, but I realised that without it the end wouldn't make any sense :P So I guess it sorta is a Major change!**_

* * *

Chapter 6:

The cheering from the previously won Quidditch game moved on all the way from the field to Gryffindor common room.

"Who wants to crack open the Firewhisky?" James yelled over his surrounding fans as he held up a bottle of the highly alcoholic drink, "Nah just joking, 6th and 7th years only. Sorry kiddies."

"Have a good game Potter?" Lily asked bending around his tall body to grab three butterbeers.

"Yeah," James answered looking slightly taken aback, "Well, you know it was pretty rough out there, But it always is. So I'm used to it by now." James ran a hand through his hair like he always did when he wanted to act cool.

Lily clenched her jaw, she hated it when he did that, "You mean all those interferences weren't a burden?" she asked while at the same time trying to look curious.

"Not at all. A small, worthless prank like that couldn't throw me off my course," James leant closer to Lily taking a swig of his drink.

"Oh really? Damn I thought we'd come up with a really good one this morning," Lily feigned disappointment as she walked away.

James made a choking noise before commenting on her last comment, "That was you? You did all that?"

"Well, me, Mel and Kay. It was actually Kay's plan. Bit unlike her isn't it?"

"Well yeah, but why?" James was trying to ask, but Lily didn't seem to be paying him any notice.

"Wow Evans! You trying to drown yourself?" Sirius laughed as Lily walked past with the three drinks.

"Don't be stupid Black they're not alcoholic and they're not all for me," Lily said passing him without a second glance.

"Okay then. Hey Prongs! Good game mate," Sirius patted James on the back who was still smiling after Lily.

"What's up with you?" Remus asked from the other side of him.

"You look like you just saw a girl take off her top," Sirius laughed, "Wow, if you're looking in the same direction as I was, then that's exactly what you saw!"

James shook his head, hardly paying his friends any attention, "Evans did it," he said in disbelief.

"No," Remus gave his friend a worried look, "I think that that's Lynda Brooks."

"No," James looked around at his friends finally, "Evans was the one who did all those things at the Quidditch match."

Remus and Sirius burst out laughing.

"I would have thought, coming from a person that loathes you as much as Evans, that she'd have done something a little more evil," Sirius grabbed another Firewhisky off the table.

"Wow did you guys just get a load of Brooks?" Peter panted finally have found his friends.

"Bit delayed Wormtail."

"What? What did I miss this time?"

"Nothing," Remus shook his head before grabbing Sirius' bottle off him.

"Hey I was drinking that!" Sirius exclaimed snatching it back.

"You want to slow down a bit on those. You'll be drunk if you drink anything over four."

"Let him have his fun," James said shoving Remus, "It's a party. Besides it's not like he'll be stupid enough to drink enough to get so drunk that he blanks out and wakes up with a girl next to him."

"Let me tell you it wouldn't be the first time," Sirius smiled, remembering what his friends didn't really want to hear about.

Remus gave him an unbelieving stare before taking a swig of his own drink.

"How do you think Evans came up with a prank?" Sirius asked from the couch he was lying on.

"It wasn't her plan, it was Crew's," James corrected his friend.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sirius exclaimed holding up his hands, "Crew as in Kaydence Crew, as in Evans' friend Crew? No way."

"And yet she was the one that got into Arithmancy with James and me and not you, yet you seem to come up with the best of our pranks," Remus pointed out.

"Me and James Mooney. Note that the Me is before the capital J that represents Prongs"

"What? Evans was the one that did those thing to us?" Peter squeaked.

"Yeah, her and Jewels and Crew," James said now ignoring his other friends' quarrel over grammar.

"I would have expected a bit more from the girl who thinks you're the worst person in the school."

All four boys nodded in agreement before letting the eyes wander over to Lynda Brooks who seemed to have already gotten extremely drunk in the short time the party had been active and was dancing on a tabletop.

* * *

"So, they know it was us?" Kay asked Lily as she came back with the drinks.

"Yep, I couldn't have been clearer," Lily smiled with herself and passed out the drinks.

"Oh Lils these aren't drinks. Where's the Firewhisky?" Kay said looking over her Butterbeer like it had flies floating in it.

"Firewhisky is alcoholic," Mel explained opening her own drink.

"I know! That's why I want one," Kay stood up, passing her unopened drink to a

un-expecting first year.

"Don't drink too much without our supervision!" Lily called out, "We don't want you to turn into Lynda."

Kay waved her hand to show she understood.

"She's not coming back for a while," Mel sighed.

"Nope," Lily answered without contemplation.

"Hey are you those girls who pranked the Marauders at the Quidditch game?" a fifth year boy stopped to ask.

"Yep," both Mel and Lily answered smiling proudly.

"Well it wasn't very good," the boy smirked.

"Oh, we know," they answered again their smiles growing.

The boy walked away with his friends laughing at the girls who seemed so happy with their poor prank.

After around a half hour of talking about boys, make up, books, and classes Lily had confirmed to herself that Kay had gotten herself drunk and crashed somewhere.

"Wanna check out what the boys are doing? See if they're drunk yet?" Lily asked already standing from her position at the edge of the girls' staircase, "Oh and of course to see if Kay's all right," Lily stated the last part as though it was the least of their worries.

Mel sighed before getting up, "If we must."

They guided themselves through the crowd to find the Marauders using they sense of hearing to listen for the Marauder's heavy laughing as their guide.

They reached them to find that their missing crewmember wasn't to be found anywhere around the drinks.

"Where's Kay?" Lily walked over to an almost drunk looking James.

"Was I supposed to be watching her?" James asked looking Lily up and down, "You know what Evans?"

"What Potter?" Lily's patience was already running out and he'd only spoken a sentence.

"In my third year, I saw you. And you know what I thought? I thought she has _the_ hottest body in the whole school."

Lily felt her cheeks flush slightly, "I don't have time for this!" She flung her hands up in frustration and stormed off towards the fireplace.

"Can you believe him? I mean I know he's drunk and all but can he go one day without ruining mine? Mel?"

Lily turned on the spot when an answer didn't come from her only remaining ally.

She sighed when she saw Peter talking to her looking shyly at his feet, and Mel looking at hers. _I honestly will never know what she sees in him._

She turned again to the fireplace and looked deeply into its flickering flames.

"Stop it Luis," Lily turned to the familiar voice. She saw Kay standing in a corner with Luis Warlock.

"C'mon Kay. We're both drunken idiots. And what else better do we have to do?"

"I have a boyfriend."

"No you don't you broke up with him a ages ago."

Kay looked thoughtful for a second while Luis took her hand, "I said no! If I am drunk I am obviously not drunk enough to fall for your tactless flirting skills," she yelled trying to remove her hand.

Lily stomped over to the corner and grabbed Luis by the arm forcing him to turn to face her, "She said no you deaf prick! This is harassment leave her alone."

"Well if it isn't Miss Evans. That was a poor prank you pulled today."

"We know," Kay and Lily answered glancing at each other, "Now piss off you git," Lily finish shooing him.

He grunted and left to find another girl he could subdue.

"Thanks Lils," Kay said throwing her empty bottle in a nearby bin.

"How many of those have you had?" Lily pointed to the bottle.

"Only two," Kay held up three fingers, "I'm still sober enough to keep my shirt on. And my pants at that."

"Maybe you should stop now," Lily took Kay's hand and went off to where she last saw Mel.

"Yes mother. I was planing to anyways."

"C'mon Mel. We're taking Kay to bed," Lily said sternly yanking Mel away from a checkers game she had been watching intently.

"Lils, do we have to? It's only eleven. We usual stay up until twelve on party nights," Mel whined.

Lily could tell that she didn't really care about the time, she just wanted to get back to the checkers game.

"Ok fine, but don't-" Lily started to say as both her friends disappeared back off into the crowd, "Ditch me."

Lily sighed and made her way over to the drinks table. She picked up a butterbeer but on second thoughts put it back.

_I'm alone. It's late. It's a party. What do I have to lose? _Lily asked herself picking up a Firewhisky. _My virginity that's what! Maybe just one. But no more than that!_ She told herself sternly.

As she took a sip she was starting to think that it tasted quite nice when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

Expecting it to be Luis she snarled, "I thought I told you to piss off Warlock."

The voice she heard next startled her, "Warlock hey? That's a new name," Lily jumped back slightly only pushing herself further into James' arms.

"Potter let go," Lily said in an even more dangerous tone.

James immediately released Lily from his grips. Which surprised her a fair bit, she'd thought that James would've taken advantage of her whilst she was within his power, wrapped in strong, muscular, sexy, _Wait no! Bad brain Bad!_ Lily scolded herself.

"Sorry Evans," James mumbled looking at his feet, "Dunno what came over me."

"I hope you're not expecting me to forgive you for that!"

"No course not. I wouldn't expect any forgiveness from Lily Evans."

Lily was taken aback by James cold tone, as he looked her in the eyes. She opened he mouth to say something but he started again.

"I've never expected any forgiveness from you. Even though I try to apologise for everything I do, you always find a way to say you still hate me."

James voice was rising and Lily's anger was boiling, "How dare you! Just because you say sorry once for all of the thing's you've done doesn't mean you get automatic forgiveness!"

"Well it should. All those times I've pranked you have either been accident or to get your attention. All I wanted to do was make you to notice me!"

"Well you're certainly going the wrong way about it!"

"You think you're so high and might, with your top grades for everything, you probably sleep with the teachers to get them! What would people think if they found out about that! And while you're up on your high horse anyone else would've realised that I just ask you out because I-" James cut himself off looking out the window.

"What Potter?" Lily paused but James just avoided her eye contact, "You are just an arrogant, self-centred, git. And I will NEVER want to go out with you."

"Well I don't know why I've bothered. Because tonight I've really seen what a cold-hearted bitch you are Evans. And I know I never really have wanted to go out with you, I'm a player and you're just another trophy like the rest of them."

Lily felt her heart tighten. That hurt. More than she'd ever thought it would. She stood stunned for a second before she let the anger cover over hurt and she slapped James across his face.

She then sprinted towards her dorm trying to hold back tears. Passing Kay who was dancing in the middle of the floor, and passing Mel who was just about to begin another game of checkers.

Kay and Mel had seen their friend running away in despair and left their posts to run after her.

James still stood looking in the direction his head had turned once slapped. He wasn't thinking about the sting or how people were watching him. All that was going through his mind was, _Why did I say that? It's not true. Why is Evans the only one that can get me that worked up to say things like that?_

"Prongs? You ok man?" Sirius asked slightly laughing.

"She hit you pretty hard. That was hilarious! What did you say to her?" Remus laughed.

James looked at his two closest friends. Remus looked a bit drunk, and Sirius was struggling to stand up straight so he was definitely drunk. It was a surprise they could both make sentences.

_It's a surprise I can make sentences!_ He thought realising he had had just as many fire whiskies as they had.

"I called her a bitch," James said not sounding like he regretted anything. Though, on the inside he was kicking himself.

Both Remus and Sirius burst out laughing, until Sirius piped up randomly, "I know! Let's sing Christmas carols." He suggested.

"Why not?" Remus shrugged. And they all started to sing 'Jingle Bells'.

Peter stubbled over, "I'm going to go hit the sack," he yawned, obviously tired.

"We'll come with you," James followed Peter up the to the boys dorm, "I'm bored with our victory party and the girls are all over there doing stuff and I can't be bother going over there with them," he slurred before flopping down on the bed and almost falling asleep instantly.

"Yeah," Sirius slurred as well, climbing into his bed from a crawling position.

All that came from Remus was a grunt of agreement and Peter was already snoring.

"We are so going to have hangovers tomorrow," James laughed as his two remaining awake friends groaned.

* * *

"Lils?" Kay asked gently sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What happed this time?" Mel asked, closing the door behind her.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know!" Lily screamed. She didn't know why she was screaming. She didn't even know why she was crying.

"One minute I was grabbing a drink and the next James had his arms around me," Kay gasped thinking that Lily was going to say she'd been harassed, but Lily continued.

"And I told him to go and," Lily sniffed.

"That's it I'm going to bash that sorry bastard's arse," Kay said standing up. But Mel grabbed her wrist seeing there was more to the story.

"And he let go. But I was still angry. And I told him. And then he got angry. And we were shouting. And then he called me a bitch and told me I was just a trophy in his bloody game. I already knew that one though, I'm definitely not crying because I thought that there was a chance he could like me," Lily spat. She could feel her anger rising, but this time it didn't cover the hurt.

Mel and Kay rubbed Lily sympathetically on the back as she let out the rest of her tears.

After around fifteen minutes Lily sat bolt upright startling Mel and Kay a little. She glared at nothing in particular while she thought about something. Then she turned back to her friends and whipped her eyes.

"I shouldn't be crying. I shouldn't even be feeling hurt. Only people you care about can hurt you and Potter isn't someone I care about!" she straightened herself leaving to go to the bathroom to fix her eyes.

"She's still in denial?" Mel asked Kay looking at the bathroom door.

"Yep. And I think it's going to take her a while to get over it," Kay slipped into bed still in her robes and hoped to Merlin that Lily would crack soon, before someone else did it for her.

Lily turned the water on in the shower and the sink, she sank to the floor and sobbed for a few minutes before getting up and wiping the tears from her eyes. She couldn't do this to her friends. Not now when they were already in over their heads. She had to act strong, if she crumbled Kay and Mel would soon follow after her and then they would be in deep trouble.

She looked at the golden watch her grandma had given her for her eighth birthday. She smiled at her grandmother's memory. She had always been the one Lily could tell everything to. Her grandma would never say anything mean or judgemental, she only ever had kind reassurance.

* * *

"_Take goo care of this watch Lily," Lily's Grandma's wrinkled face smiled as she slipped the watch onto her granddaughter's scrawny wrist._

"_I will Grandma, it's so pretty," Lily jiggled her wrist and watch as the gold slid around her wrist shining in the light._

"_It's very special to me, do you know why?" the old lady smiled as Lily shook her head but all the while staying transfixed to the watch, "You're grandfather gave that to me when I was a very young girl."_

_Lily climbed onto her grandma's lap and listened intently. She had never met her grandfather, he had died before she was born. It was because of that reason that she always loved to hear stories about him. He sounded like an incredibly noble and kindhearted man._

"_I was sixteen and your grandfather was seventeen. I never really knew him that well because he was a year above me, the younger high school students never really interacted with the older students. He was boisterous and arrogant and all the girls at school loved him. He had a very hansom face and I won't lie to you that I was one of those foolish girls who fancied him for his looks, but I never told anyone not even my closest friends. I even denied it to myself every time I though of it._

"_He had many friends, most of them just as egotistical and energetic as he was, though when they were together they were even more so. One day during the lunch break I was out on the grounds with my friends. We had to pass over the area whee all the boys played their football games, Nathan was one of those boys. We were passing as far away from the games as we could near the gutters trying to avoid them._

"_All of a sudden my friend who were walking behind me started calling my name. I turned around for three seconds when I head another voice call 'Heads up sweetie!' it was Nathan. The ball was coming at me, he tried to jump and catch it but he bumped me in the process. We both fell in the gutter, neither of us hurt. At first we laughed but then I realised that when I fell I had knocked the watch I was wearing on my right wrist. The glass was cracked and it had stopped. I was very upset and I blamed the broken watch on him for bumping me. _

"_That watch had been a gift from my grandmother to me on my eighth birthday. I told him never to talk to me again and got up and left very quickly. He was very angry with me for talking to him like that. No girl ever talked to him like I did. We hated each other two whole school terms, we said bad things about each other and spread rumours as well."_

"_It doesn't sound like you and Grandpa really loved each other at all Grandma," Lily said not liking this story at all, after listening to this it made her grandpa sound like not such a noble man._

"_Not at first no, but once we got over our pride we learnt that all we really needed was each other."_

"_Can we get to that bit now?"_

"_Of course, after all that is the best part. After those two school terms were over it was nearly the end of the school year. He would be graduating and wanted to move the country, but I would still stay here in Surrey and finish my school education. Deep down I regretted staying angry at him for all that time. I was surprised when at the graduation ceremony, that all seniors had to attend I was pulled aside out of the line but none other than Nathan. I felt very embarrassed and tried to leave but he held my arm very tightly and looked me in the eye. He told me it was immature of him to react the way he did and that he was sorry and would do anything to make it up to me for breaking my watch._

"_He still had one more month until he would leave for the country and promised that he would take me wherever I wanted until that month was up. I held him to his word and for one whole month Nathan and I went to many restaurants and parks. I refused to call them dates no matter how many times my friends told me they were. On the last day before Nathan would leave to go to the country we spent the whole day together._

"_I was very upset, over the month we were together we had grown very close, and now he was just going to leave. Before the sun set he got out a small leather casing from his pocket and gave it to me. Inside was a lovely golden watch almost exactly like the one my grandmother had given me that we had broken. I almost cried when he showed me the engraving he'd put on the back of it."_

_Lily took off the watch and turned over the face of it. There in the back in fancy curving words read, 'All I need to live is your love'. Looking back up at her grandma Lily could see small tears running down her cheeks as she continued._

"_It was then that he begged me to come with him to country. He convinced me there was nothing left for me to learn in school and that he could teach me all about the world when we travelled it together. It was the sweetest thing any boy had ever done for me and I wasn't about to let him go so easily. We ran away together but we didn't just go to the country, we went to London and then France, we soon caught a plane and we went to America. We travelled the world together and I never once regretted it._

"_Ever since that day that he gave me that watch, I always thought that the day that we broke the one that my grandma gave me to be the luckiest day of my life, because I met him. Sometimes I think that maybe the watch stopping symbolised that my life alone was over. But you may just think that I'm a silly old lady and that a broken watch doesn't mean anything."_

"_No Grandma, I think that that's a wonderful story. Do you think that this watch will stop for me when I find my true love?" Lily smiled brightly at the love story, it sounded just like a fairytale to her._

"_I'm almost positive it will."_

* * *

That memory Lily held onto for eight years was one of the last she would have to keep for her grandmother. Only days later had the old lady died, of what no one had ever told Lily, but at least she was with grandpa. She missed the floral scent of her grandma and the soft feel of her wrinkly arms when she hugged her, and she always would. But that watch had been the best gift anyone in the world had ever given Lily, and so she would always remember her grandma as the kind person she was.

'_Grandma was sixteen when she met her true love,'_ Lily thought as she took off the watch and polished the glass face and then the engraving, _'But I don't think I'm going to find mine around here. Not unless he notices me.'_

* * *

**_A/N: Thank you for reading my sixth chapter! I really hope you enjoyed this one. It maybe hinting at a little something if you're a really close reader (actually it's pretty obvious). But Please Please! Do review. I love getting your reviews and I reply to all. So many people read my story but only 3 review. So Please do review!_**


	7. Slippery Futures

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: New updated version. There was a few changes and so it is much more enjoyable than before. I think this is one of my favourite chapters :) **_

* * *

Chapter 7: 

James awoke the next morning to the sound of Peter slamming the bathroom door. Once he had, he wished he hadn't. The sound left behind seemed to last in his head for several minutes making him feel like the walls of his skull were playing ping-pong with his brain.

He heard similar groans to his own from the beds across from him, he guessed they were feeling the same thumping pain he felt as both of them ducked under their covers and remained silent for the time being. James slowly sat up disregarding the thumping in his head scolding him to lie back down.

He had just managed to sit up and felt like he was going to have an okay day when Peter pushed open the bathroom door again crowing, "Morning fellas!"

There were three groans again and James collapsed pulling the covers over his head this time for good.

"Wormtail what day is it?" James heard Remus' voice muffled through his own sheets.

_Saturday or Sunday, Saturday or Sunday. Please let there be no classes to day,_ James thought, strongly hoping his wishes would come true.

"Friday," Peter confirmed.

"Shit!" James could hear Sirius exclaim as he thought the exact same.

"And classes start in two hours. So we better get down to the Great Hall if we want some breakfast."

James didn't move. And from the silence, save the packing of Peter's school bag, he guessed neither did Remus or Sirius. As he lay still in the dark, warmth of his bed covers James thought about how this reminded him very vividly of two months ago, after the winning Quidditch party.

How many drinks he'd had in their trip to Hogsmeade last night, he had no idea. But he noticed that Peter was unusually fresh unlike the other three of them. He reluctantly removed the covers from his head and watch as his fellow Marauder scurry around packing his bag and sorting books.

"How come you're not in bed like us?" James asked in a quite accusing tone.

"I didn't drink last night," Peter shrugged ignoring that fact that it was an accusation not a question.

"Well why not?" Remus asked, he too getting up from his hiding position.

"Because I didn't want to?" Peter said it more as a question than an answer. He knew his friends got snappy when they had hangovers but they were being a little too much.

"Well that's not fair," Sirius mumbled, hardly heard because he was still under his covers.

"How did we get drunk?" James looked around, "we didn't go to Hogsmeade last night. Did we?"

"No we didn't," Peter said slowly.

"Then how did we get drunk?" mused Remus.

"Maybe you didn't?"

"You have to have been drunk to have a hangover you git."

"They don't stock ANY firewhisky in Hogwarts," Sirius said finally sitting up.

"I dunno how you guys got drunk. I just guessed you did coz you were all acting bloody drunk at dinner last night," Peter put in as they all looked at each other with confused expressions.

"Evans!" the hung-over Marauders exclaimed flopping back down heavily, almost instantly wishing they hadn't. _Note to self,_ James scratched down in his mental notebook, _never raise voice when you have a hangover._

* * *

It had been almost two months since the first prank was pulled against the Marauders. Since then around two hundred more had been pulled against each group. Each had endured humiliation, detention (much to Lily's displeasure), surprise, anger, and a load of other things that could not be listed in this story, for this chapter would be around, eighty pages long. 

The more pranks pulled, the more complicated the plans became. The more humiliation they brought, the more came to follow.

Just recently the boys had made it so that the girl's dorm bathroom door didn't lead back into their dorm. During dinner three nights ago the whole of the Great Hall turned to stare at three out of place girls with nothing on but towels. In reaction the girls had screamed and ran back through the doors and had to endure more stares, as they had to run back to Gryffindor Tower.

After that the girls had modified the boys last prank, so that their door didn't lead back into their dorm either, nor the great hall. It couldn't be called original but the screams that came from the girls' dorm three doors down that night were very satisfying.

* * *

"Isn't the sound of a screamless morning just the most beautiful thing?" Lily sighed pulling aside the crimson curtains. 

"You know what sounds even better?" Kay grumbled, "A sleep in morning!"

"Classes start in an hour Kay, we don't have time for sleep ins," Mel explained in her usual explaining tone.

"I have Arithmancy first! Arithmancy isn't a morning subject!"

"Don't you think it's better than Divination?" Lily asked, hoisting her bag onto one shoulder.

Kay shrugged as she grabbed her bag as well racing out the door to catch up with her friends.

"Great," Lily sighed as they reached the point where they had to leave Kay, "Now we must face the evil spells of Divination with Black and Pettigrew."

"Don't you complain! At least you have Mel to protect you. I'm all alone against Potter and Lupin," Kay exclaimed turning the corner.

"She's got a point," Mel said thoughtfully.

Lily sighed again and followed Mel up the ladder into their Divination classroom. What would classes with just Remus be like? Would he be more of a gentleman than he already was without his friends? She smiled as she imagined her Remus and a currently unoccupied classroom. Her thoughts didn't get to wander though as their professor entered in a wind of fluorescent green and electric blue robes.

"Be seated class as we are going to be using the crystal balls today," Professor Papadelias, instructed, "Pick a partner and gather your auras. Then you may begin."

Lily saw Sirius and Peter sit down on either side of their desk and both stare into the ball at the same time.

"Idiots," she muttered before turning to Mel.

"You'd think they'd be at least smart enough to know that it doesn't work when they _both_ stare into the ball," Mel set up the crystal ball and stared into it.

"I guess I'm the first to be read," Lily sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day, "Do you think it's possible to die from lack of oxygen from sighing too much?"

"What on earth are you talking about Lils?"

"Don't worry, carry on with your mystical seeing."

The two girls sat in silence for what felt live five hours, but when Lily checked her watch found that it had only been twenty minutes. She was starting to think she was on the verge of state that she mustn't have a future and that she should try Mel's when Mel gave a surprised gasp, "I see something, I can see!" Mel's framed eyes widened.

Professor Papadelias appeared by their side in an instant, "What do you see my child?"

Lily watched curiously as Mel squinted at the crystal ball, "I can see…" she paused as she thought over the meaning, "You will discover a tall dark handsome…"

"Stranger?" Lily guessed. This was exactly the same thing she got at every summer carnival she went to back home.

"No," Mel shook her head slowly afraid that she would loose the vision, "You already know him. But, you will only be together if you realise your own fears and face them?" Mel raised an eyebrow at her last statement.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"But, my child it does, it makes all the sense in the world" Professor Papadelias placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, "Only _time_ will open ones mind though."

Papadelias' last words to Lily left her feeling lost and confused for the rest of the lesson. _A hansom man? Where would I find one of those if I already know who he is?_

* * *

_Smack!_

James sat up abruptly having smacked his head on the hard wood desk he was sitting at.

He received a harsh glare from Professor Winter who stood at the front of the class explaining a complicated equation that he couldn't be stuffed learning about.

"What is the answer, April?" the class turned in their seats to face a young girl who appeared to be from Ravenclaw. The girl was aware of all the stares and diverted her gaze to the floor. Her graceful, sea blue eyes stood out vividly against her long wavy brown hair that grew down to the very center of her back.

As she tucked a strand behind her ear James noticed that her fingernails were painted delicately with a pale blue and white that made it look like there were snow white vines growing over a cloudless sky.

"Umm I don't know," she mumbled softly.

Her voice was so sweet it made James sigh, and apparently Remus was thinking the same thing, because he heard his own sigh mimicked through his friend's mouth.

Professor Winter's sigh was much heavier and full of disappointment, "April, start paying attention, take notes and do your homework. It's embarrassing having my own daughter not know the subject that I teach." The Professor drummed her finger nails on her desk and overlooked the rest of the class, "Have any of you been listening? Mr Lupin surely you know the answer."

Yes, Remus would know the answer. James looked expectantly at his friend, awaiting the answer. Though by the looks of it, Remus's mind was on other things. He was staring off into space, but James had an inkling her knew where that area of 'space' was.

There came another heavy sigh from Professor Winter's mouth and she walked over the James and Remus' desk.

_Smack!_

A ruler came down on Remus' un-expecting hands, and James winced at the look of pain on Remus face as he snapped back to reality.

The teacher gave him a smug look and walked back to the front of the room where she faced the class, "Let that be a lesson to all of you students who don't pay attention in my class."

"Miss?" Kay whined with her hand forced into the air.

"Yes Miss Crew?"

"The answer is seven also known as fw22," Kay breathed letting her hand drop to her side, looking exhausted.

"Very good, Miss Crew."

The bell rung as Professor Winter leant against her desk. As people started packing their things she called out over the class, "And remember, you are to write a two hundred word essay on the magical property of numbers and why they are so important."

April seemed to leave so abruptly that it was as though she wasn't even there. James caught Kay out of the corner of his eye running out the door and snatch April by the wrist.

"Hey," she called out, even though she already had April by the wrist.

April, who thought she was going to get into trouble, slowly turned around, and answered, "Yes?"

Kay frowned at April's quiet tone before letting her expression soften, "I'm Kay Crew."

April found herself shaking Kay's hand without even willing too, and smiling up at the slightly taller girl.

"I've never seen you around before? Looks like you're in Ravenclaw," Kay said noticing the girl's robes.

"Oh-," April started but was soon cut off.

"So you're Professor Winter's daughter huh? It must be a drag having a teacher as a mum. Or a mum as a teacher I guess."

"Well-," April tried to explain but again was interrupted.

"Ugh. Now I remember what I wanted to ask!" Kay exclaimed raising her hands up into the air, "You don't look like you know many people. No offence or anything. But would you like to come sit with me and my friends at the Gryffindor table?"

"Oh," April looked up in surprise. She'd never been invited to sit at another house table.

"That's great! Well I must dash I've transfiguration with grumpy old Professor McGonagall," Kay took in a breath as she collided with Professor McGonagall, "Oh, hi Professor! Lovely day for a walk isn't it? Looking forward to that class!"

The old teacher grunted dismissively before walking on.

"Well I suppose I'll be seeing you in Transfiguration too, unless you don't do Transfiguration this period. But I've gotta go fetch my friends so I'll see you latter," Kay waved happily before running off in the direction of the Astronomy Tower.

"Boy, does she ever stop?" April turned to see an incredibly hansom boy walking next to her.

"You haven't heard it all until you've dated her mate," another great looking guy came up on her other side.

"Remus 'mate', I have dated her."

"Oh, yeah."

"How rude of us I'm…" James started holding out a hand to the shorter girl.

"James Potter," April breathed her shoulders tensing.

"Yeah, how do you know?"

"Oh I watch the Quidditch games, you're a great chaser I always cheer for Gryffindor. Unless, of course, Ravenclaw's playing" April stated deciding that after how run down she was in her previous conversation she would dominate this one, "And you're Remus Lupin. I love your commentary."

"You, you do?" Remus stumbled.

April just nodded enthusiastically, "Well I've got potions. So I guess I'll see you two around."

James scratched his head and looked at Remus, "Did she just-?"

"Ignore us?" Remus offered.

"No not quite. More like… dominated the conversation?"

Remus twisted his lips in thought, "Nah," he shook his head and they both walked off towards the North Tower, where they would hopefully meet Sirius and Peter halfway before heading to Transfiguration.

* * *

"Kay!" Mel bounced excitedly, "We both just met the men of our dreams!" 

Kay raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Well," Lily started to explain, "In time I will discover a tall, dark hansom man that I have already met."

"How does that work? I thought they were always strangers," Kay pointed out walking in-between her friends on the walk to Transfiguration.

"That's what I thought. But apparently I'm wrong," Lily stated before Mel burst.

"And I am going to meet the love of my life!" Mel twirled on the spot almost falling over.

"But remember the crystal ball said that he wasn't for you. You were just head over heels for him. And you had better be beware because, he will do something that mortifies you and you will almost unable to bare it."

"Lils that didn't make any sense," Kay said dumbly.

"I know it didn't," Lily sighed, "Speaking of no sense at all can I use you for assignment?"

"Depends on the assignment, if you need to shave my head or cut me open it's a not deal!" Kay said putting her hands protectively over her hair.

"No I need to write a report on someone's life, you know with the whole reading of the palms and star signs and the looking into of the crystal balls."

"What took you so long to get here Kay?" Mel butted in, basically jogging to keep up with the taller girls long walking strides.

"I met this new chick April. Well she's not new, new you know. But I've never seen her around before. She's in my Arithmancy class, she's the teacher's daughter, you know Professor Winter?"

"Oh," Lily and Mel answered, knowing that that was all they'd get in for the next five minutes.

"And well, she's really nice, bit quiet though. I invited her to come sit with at lunch at the Gryffindor table. Even though she's in Ravenclaw, she said she'd love to and then I had to fly. But don't worry you guys will meet her at lunch."

Mel and Lily nodded simultaneously as they entered the classroom. Lily led her two friends straight to the front row of desks. Lily thought that by sitting closer to the teacher she would absorb more of the knowledge she so desperately needed in that subject.

"Today class, we will be transfiguring matchboxes into small, lit candles, without the aid of the fire lighting spell," Professor McGonagall added sternly.

The door at the back of the room banged open, and who else but the Marauders walked in.

"Mr Potter, Mr Black, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew, seeing as you are late to my class you will be pleased to give out the matches I have for this unit."

Peter sighed and started to walk to the front of the room where the matchboxes were stored in a small box. James, Remus and Sirius on the other hand seemed to be smiling more agreeably as the walked up to the front of the room.

Lily felt her nerves tighten, "Oh no. What if they do something to the matches?" Lily said in a panicky tone to Mel, Kay didn't seem to be listening and was staring off into space as she usually did in transfiguration.

"Don't worry Lils. I don't think that they'd be so desperate to prank us that they'd do it in class."

"You sure?"

Mel nodded and took out her textbook to look up the proper spell, leaving Lily shifting consciously in her seat.

Lily kept her eyes on the four Marauders as they walked around the class handing out the matchboxes. So far they hadn't done anything suspicious, but Lily was still wary.

"Evans," James said approaching Lily with her box. He held it out in one hand waiting for her to take it not knowing that she didn't intend on taking it any time soon. James sighed impatiently and grabbed one of her hands with his free one and stuffed the matches into it.

Lily felt herself flush, when he grabbed her hand. They were surprisingly soft and warm. She'd thought that with all the time he spent gripping onto a broom they would be cold rough. _Bloody hell he has warm hands. He could light a fire with those. And no wonder those bimbos are hanging off his hands the whole time._

Someone clearing their throat, that someone being James, interrupted her thoughts. She looked up irritably, not realising she was still holding his hand along with the matches.

"It's called moisturiser, maybe you should try it on your heart sometime," he didn't say it kindly nor did he try too as he snatched his hand away fro9m hers. He wasn't trying to get her to like him anymore, there had to be something wrong with that girl's head if she hadn't already fallen for him. As far as he was concerned she was a lost cause.

Lily gave him her best death glare as he walked away from her. Despite the fact that she was thinking about how much of an arrogant, naive prick he was, she still found herself clutching the matchbox tightly feeling the warmth James' grip had left around it.

"Lils?" Lily heard Kay ask, "Are you going to start practicing or not?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course," Lily put the small red box on the desk in front of her and took out her wand, "What's the spell again?"

"Flarotio," Mel said simply. Pointing at her own matches and pronouncing it to make a small golden candle form.

"Ok easy, I can do this," Lily breathed and pointed her wand at the matches on her desk, "Flarotio." Nothing happened. Lily repeated the same thing five times and still nothing happened.

Kay frowned as she watched her friend's desperation. She had already managed to transfigure her matches into a candle and back in matches. "Here Lils swap," Kay swapped her matches with Lily's and tried to perform the spell on Lily's matches. Nothing happened for her either.

"Here pass them," Mel caught the matches in mid air as Kay chucked them to her. Mel was the transfiguration wiz out of the three of them. If anybody could do it, she could. But still nothing happened.

"What if we all tried to do the spell at once? Wouldn't it give it more power?" Kay suggested leaning over Lily to grab back the matches.

"Ok, but don't let McGonagall see. She'll get hell pissed," Lily whispered.

The three girls gathered around the tiny matchbox and pointed their different wands at its smooth outside.

"Flarotio!" they all whispered at the same time. The small matchbox seemed to go a pale shade of green and contained a waxy complexion.

"It's working!" Lily exclaimed, a huge grin on her face.

The pale green wax bubbled and grew in size. And the three girls' smiles fell,

"I don't think it's supposed to do that," Mel said quickly, "Duck!" The three girls screamed and jumped under the desks, as there was very wet sounding explosion from above.

After a few minutes of sitting under the desk Lily was the first to pop her head out. She gasped and ducked back under.

"What is it?" Kay asked.

Lily shook her head looking disappointed, though a hint of a smile on her lips. The three girls reappeared and all gasped at the sight of the large classroom. Everything was partly covered in what had been their attempt to make a candle. Green wax hung off everything and everyone.

"Scourgify," Mel said quietly and the wax was gone.

The girls hung their heads and turned expectantly to Professor McGonagall knowing what they were in for.

"Well I never!" McGonagall exploded, "In all my years! Detention! All three of you!"

Four boys at the back of the room couldn't conceal their laughter and burst out in hysterics.

McGonagall turned her deathly glare on them and began firing off at them, "And you four! No doubt you had something to do with this. The four of you can join the girls on their detention at 9 o'clock tonight!"

McGonagall looked at the seven now silent teenagers, "I will restore the room to how it was after our, mishap, and you shall clean it by hand, without magic!"

The Professor was shaking with anger as she spat out their punishment. All the students, even the ones that weren't receiving punishment, recoiled from McGonagall's fiery temper.

The bell rang, though no one dared to move. The class remained silent as Professor McGonagall tucked a strand of hair that had fallen loose from its tight bun. She then cleared her throat and dismissed the class appearing as outwardly calm as she could.

Some students slowly packed their things, afraid that if they made a sudden move, McGonagall would pounce on them. Others packed their bags in a rush, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

Among those who left in a hurry were Lily, Kay, Mel, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter. When they got outside Lily and James turned to each other, "Good one Evans," James growled.

"What did I do? You're the one that jinxed the matches," Lily said, forcefully poking him in the chest.

"Well I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't started this whole thing."

"And I wouldn't have had to start it if you had given up on me in the first place!"

"Well I wouldn't have had to start THAT whole thing if you had never been so pretty."

There was a short pause from both students, James because he had just realised what he had said and Lily because she wasn't sure if James had meant it or not. Her thoughts were soon put to rest as James added to the end of his sentence, "And I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. Just in case you were confused.

"Oh I'm sure."

"This has nothing to do with me Evans."

"Potter! It has EVERYTHING to do with you!"

Lily's voice was gaining in volume and the only thing she could wonder was how James was managing to keep his voice at a normal talking level.

"If you had of just accepted my request for you to go out with me, or at least tell me why you wouldn't, then we wouldn't be caught up in this."

The last words that escaped James' lips left Lily speechless. Why did she always refuse? Why didn't she tell him why not? Why not?

Lily bit her lip at the smug look on James face, "Potter!" was all she could come up with.

"Yes dearest?" James said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Why don't you just drop dead? I don't ever and will never want to go out with you because you are James Potter," she said it in a quiet, cold tone that sent shivers down James' spine.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are an arrogant, conceited, egotistical, stuck up, smug, immature, naïve, narrow minded, prejudiced, adolescent PRICK! And I hate YOU!"

When the tall boy didn't say anything but stare back into the emerald flames of her eyes, Lily turned on her heel and forced herself not to run away.

As Kay and Mel went to follow they felt hands grab their upper arm and pull them back.

"Don't try any of that shit about she needs to be alone," Kay said crossly turning to face Remus.

"She obviously doesn't need to be left alone, she needs someone right now," Mel said in her matter-of-fact tone.

"No we wanted to say that maybe it's best you just forfeit and stop this whole war thing," Sirius said gently.

"Forfeit!" Mel and Kay exclaimed at the same time.

"No way! You're the ones that need to forfeit. Heck, you just need to stop pranking us back. We just wanted you to feel what other people feel when _you_ prank _them_," Kay said directly to Sirius.

Mel looked around for James but he seemed to have left, going the opposite direction from Lily.

Peter decided to join in the quarrel, "But, we wouldn't have to carry on if you would just forfeit."

"And why's that? Why can't you just forfeit?" Mel said crossly looking him dangerously in the eye.

Peter seemed at a loss for words so Remus stepped in, "Because, the Marauders never forfeit. We try until the end."

"We don't forfeit either, we stick together and we fight for the good of other people, not for reputation," Kay said now rounding on Remus as she shoved him and Sirius a step further back.

"So _we_ are never going to give up, not until _you_ forfeit, or we put the whole school in danger," Mel said matching Kay's tone perfectly, shoving Peter back so he was in line with his friends.

The two girls stood shoulder-to-shoulder, arms crossed, awaiting a response. When none came they turned on their heel and followed Lily's tracks.

"Fine!" Sirius yelled after them when they were about to round a corner.

"Bit of a delay Padfoot," Peter squeaked.

"Shut up Wormtail," Sirius said slapping his shorter friend over the back of the head.

"If this carries on," Remus said looking at his friends, "It really will be the end of the school you know?"

"Yeah, we know," Sirius smiled, "But they're girls. They'll give up when the going gets too tough."

Peter nodded in agreement while Remus sighed at their naiveness.

"Hey where'd Prongs go?" Peter said finally.

Sirius looked around in alarm, "Prongs? Don't worry buddy! I'll find you then I'll save you!"

"From what? He left ten minutes ago to go down to the kitchens," Remus stated.

"Well who knows? Maybe the house elves haven't cooked the turkey yet and it's one of them giant mutant turkeys and it eats him!"

"That has to be the most bizarre thing you've said all year Padfoot."

"I know, isn't it great?"

"You didn't get a word of what I just said did you?"

Sirius shook his head smiling proudly, "Nope."

Remus sighed and followed after Peter and Sirius as they started their way down the hall to find the painting of a bowl of fruit, with an unusually ticklish pear.

* * *

_**A/N: 4,000 words!!! This is my longest chapter yet. I couldn't help but carry it on so long. Thank you for reading it and please let me know what you thought. That means REVIEW!!!**_


	8. Shining Stars and Moving On

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: I almost had to fix up nothing in this chapter! I'm not happy with alot of the sentence structures towards the end but I couldn't think of how to fix them.  
**_

* * *

Chapter 8:

I can't believe him. Who else but Potter could put out such a ridiculous statement? It's not even a statement, it's a fact, no wait, that's worse. It's a… Oh stuff it. It's all his fault either way. Once again the mighty James Potter has managed to get Lily Evans wound up so tight she's on the verge of snapping. Why am I talking in third person? Oh crap, I'm going mental! And it is STILL his fault! 

Lily stopped in her tracks when she noticed a girl with mid-back, dark brown hair sitting at her usual lunch spot.

"What the bloody hell are you doing sitting there?" Lily said, surprised with her harsh tone.

The girl just smiled and held out a hand, "You must be Lily. I'm April Winter. I'm in Kay's Arithmancy class."

"Oh, you," Lily was still surprised with how out of place her voice was sounding and not taking the offered hand.

"Are you okay? You sound pretty run down."

"James Potter," those were the only words Lily spoke as though they explained everything. Taking a seat beside April she grabbed a plate and piled it with all of her favourite foods.

"Ah," April nodded understandingly and ate along with Lily.

Only a few minutes after did Kay and Mel walk in looking extremely satisfied with themselves.

"What are you two so happy about?" Lily said, her tone had eased a bit, but it still sounded disgruntled.

"Lils, get your wand out of your arse before it shoots your head off," Kay demanded also surprised with Lily's grumpiness.

"Don't worry I understand," Mel patted Lily on the shoulder before looking over with a confused look at April. Kay followed her gaze and saw April who was looking a bit self-conscious.

"April!" Kay squealed happily bouncing over and hugging the other girl as though they'd known each other for years.

"Down, Kay, down," April said laughing, slightly choking on the turkey she had been eating.

"So this is the girl we got a five minute lecture on before Transfiguration?" Mel smiled and shook April's hand, "I'm Mel. The smart one"

Mel received two punches on either arm from Lily and Kay.

"Did we find out what time our detention's on?" Lily asked feeling slightly better now that she had her friends with her.

"Yeah, nine tonight remember?" Kay said simply.

"But nine is after hours? Why would she do that?"

"I dunno, maybe she wanted you guys to be too tired to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" April offered shrugging her skinny shoulders.

"That's probably it," said Mel nodding in agreement.

"I don't care if we finish cleaning that classroom at 1 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'm going to Hogsmeade even if I have to ride a bloody broom so that I can walk," a determined Lily slammed a fist down on the table.

"Why all the determination? Christmas holidays are next week and we get to go to Hogsmeade whenever we want," Kay said giving Lily her 'why?' look.

"I was planning to go and I'm not going to let something that Potter has done get in my way."

"Good way to think. So you and James are friends?" April asked in a voice of pure innocence not noticing the desperate 'NO' signals she was getting from Kay and Mel.

Lily gave her a death glare, "Take it as a no," Kay suggested to a slightly frightened April.

* * *

"Prongs!" an ecstatically happy Sirius ran into the kitchens and engulfed his friend in a tight hug.

"Padfoot get off, it's embarrassing," James pushed Sirius into a chair and passed him some turkey.

"What's this?"

"Turkey."

Sirius gasped and pointed at Remus, "I told you so! It could've eaten him!"

James looked questioningly at Remus but he only got the 'you don't want to know' look back.

"Why'd you ditch us?" Peter asked accusingly grabbing himself a plate with a cheese sandwich.

"Coz," James said as though it was the answer to all questions.

" 'Coz' isn't a real answer," Remus said rolling his eyes.

"It is in my vocabulary."

"And mine!" Sirius said proudly raising his hand.

"Is there another one word answer you could give us?" Remus tried asking.

"Evans," James said with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"That one you should understand Mooney," Sirius said through a full mouth.

James decided he was sick of this subject and decided to change it to something that he knew everybody with a right mind enjoyed.

"So who's staying for Christmas?" he smiled sitting on the long table behind him.

"Me," Sirius said deadpan, without any expression. Sirius stayed for every holiday except for the summer one. Though, usually when his fellow Marauders had to leave for family time, James' parents took him in and treated him like a mother and father should.

Remus raised his hand for answer seeing as he had a mouth full of turkey.

"Me too," Peter answered enthusiastically, "I was going to go to Spain with my aunt but then I found out that there's a Christmas Ball on and she let me stay."

James, Sirius and Remus looked at him in shock.

"There's a ball on and they didn't tell us?" Sirius said pretending to look hurt.

"I thought you guys already knew, you always know stuff before I do."

"How did you find it out?" James said suspiciously.

"Two nights ago as I was walking the corridors, I heard Professor McGonagall and Flitwick talking about it."

"And when is this ball on?" Remus asked last.

"Christmas," Peter said unbelievingly.

"Even I knew that one Mooney," Sirius said laughing.

"Shut up, I was having one of my mental blanks," Remus said pushing Sirius over slightly.

"And since when do you have them?"

"Since now."

The four boys grinned at each other and laughed at their immatureness. James looked around at his friends. He had everything he needed. Great friends that made him laugh. Good grades in school that could take him where he wanted, a loving family back home.

All he didn't have was Lily Evans, but now that he thought about it. Lily never brought him happiness, just depression. So maybe he didn't need her. He had plenty of other girls that would throw themselves off the astronomy tower just to be caught in his arms.

"Boys I have an announcement," James announced standing up on the closest of the four tables in the large kitchen.

"Shoot," Sirius said holding up the cup of coffee he'd been drinking, this resulted in it sloshing over the sides onto the floor, "Woops."

"I, James Potter, as of now, am officially giving up on Lily Evans."

There was a quick silence before Sirius burst out, "HA! That's a good one."

"We didn't really need a laugh Prongs but I suppose a little extra always helps," Remus smiled and called for a house elf to clean up Sirius' spilt coffee.

"No I'm serious," James insisted.

"Pardon? I didn't catch that?" Sirius said looking up from under the table that he was under for unexplained reasons.

Peter was still standing looking very confused. He knew it was a joke. But he also knew that it was a serious announcement. If that made any sense, but I'm guessing not since it was coming from Peter's mind.

James sighed and rubbed his head, "I mean it, I. Am. Giving. Up. On. Evans. As of now she doesn't even Exist on the list."

Remus looked shocked for a minute, "So you're dead serious about this? No more 'look how beautiful she is today', 'doesn't she have the perfect voice', 'oh Merlin I think she just looked at me!'"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get the picture. No, no more of that which I _never_ did anyway."

"Does this mean we can get serious now?" Peter asked.

"Who keeps on saying my bloody name?" Sirius yelled, who was now over the other side of the kitchen. Why, no one would ever know.

"Yup. We're going to put the accelerator down on the pranks. Give it all we've got, humiliate them until they're begging for mercy," James smile widened when he thought of Lily grovelling at his feet for forgiveness.

"So shall we wait to see what they're going to pull next? Or shall we move straight ahead?" Remus said in a businessman sort of manner.

"As of now, there is no waiting. As of now, we pile them up one by one. If that makes sense to you."

"What's making sense to who?" Sirius asked looking puffed now back with his friends.

"What were you doing over there?" Peter asked in bemusement.

Sirius shrugged and started heading out the door, "Are we all coming or are we still hungry? I want to get out. The house elves say they're getting another ship load of turkeys in and I don't want to stick around to find out what breed."

* * *

"So April, are you staying for the Christmas holidays?" Mel asked as the four girls walked down the corridor towards the library for 'studying'.

April nodded as she watched her feet walk their way over the cold, stone floor. She had a habit of watching her feet and not where she was going. It had caused many collisions in the past.

"I have to. It's my parents anniversary and they're going on their second honeymoon," Kay said, though not sounding a little disappointed but more happy.

Lily knew what her answer was. Even if her parents wanted her to come home for Christmas she wouldn't. Her last Christmas at home had ended with her mother and father screaming at each other because her dad had bought Lily something her mother had thought inappropriate.

At first Lily had thought it funny, but when the fight had turned into a full out chucking the vases and smashing the beer bottles, she had gone to her room and cried the rest of the night.

"What about you Lils? Are you staying with the rest of us?" Mel asked looking over her shoulder so that she could see her quiet friend's expression.

Lily smiled to cover up the hurt her memories were bringing back, "You betcha."

"Ok so," Kay piped up changing the subject, "They pulled a prank on us, now its out turn to humiliate them."

"Huh?" April said looking around at the three other girls who had malicious smiles on their faces.

"We'll explain on the way," Lily said still smiling as she put an arm around April's shoulder, guiding her towards the library.

* * *

"So let me see if I have this right," April whispered as the girls huddled at a table in the library.

"James Potter and his friends, also known as the Marauders, are always pranking people and humiliating them. So you three, plot evil plans that aren't so good, against them to try and teach them a lesson and serve justice?"

"What are you talking about? Our plans are great!" Kay said offended.

April bit her lip a little to stop from giggling.

"Ok so they're not as good as theirs but they're the best we can come up with."

"Well can I help?" April said her eyes twinkling with mischief.

The other three girls gathered closer around the table so that they could all hear April's whisper.

"It's great we have to use it!" Mel said with laughter in her voice.

"What do you think Lily?" Kay said looking over to a smiling Lily.

"I say it's the best one yet. Poor start just for a laugh, with a big," Lily slammed a book down forcefully so that it made a loud bang, "for the finish."

Mel looked at her watch, "We have another fifteen minutes until class. Should we get there early?"

"I have to go anyway. My next class is on the other side of the castle, it will probably take ten minutes to get there. See you," April gave a friendly wave, gathered her things and exited the library.

"What about you Lily? Me and Mel are leaving now," Kay asked starting towards the door with Mel.

"I have to write a letter. I'll see you there," Lily responded getting out some parchment and a quill.

She wouldn't have time to post it before class, so she'd write it now while it was fresh I her mind and post it that night.

_**Dear Mum and Dad and Petunia,**_

_**How are you all? I'm very good. Kay and Mel are the same as always and still stick by my side no matter what. So will April, my new friend.**_

_**I'm not coming home for Christmas, so I'll say Happy Christmas now. **_

_**School is good. My marks are still high. Exams are coming up after Chrissie so I'll have to study hard.**_

_**I hope Petunia is still with her boyfriend Vernon; you two seemed to get along well.**_

_**Kay says that it would be cool with her parents if I wanted to stay the summer holidays with her if I didn't want to come back home. She's buying her own place, you remember how rich her family is, and next year when we graduate she's moving into it. I was thinking maybe it would be a good idea if I moved there with her when I graduate too.**_

_**Hopefully see you in summer, love your daughter, and sister,**_

_**Lily**_

Lily sighed at the letter, and hoped that she would get the response she wanted back. More than anything she wanted to have her parents together again. Everything had gone down hill since she was eleven, not that her parents relationship had been picture perfect before then either.

She looked at her watch and was surprised that it had taken her ten minutes to write the whole thing. She folded it neatly and put it in her backpack. She would take a trip up to the owlery before dinner, Polar needed to stretch his wings anyway.

Dashing out the door, she payed no attention to the thing's she was running past as she rushed to the door of her next classroom. She had just managed to grab a seat next to Mel as their teacher reopened the door. She let out the breath she had been holding as her impeccable timing that once again saved her from deducted points and detentions.

Halfway through History of Magic Lily felt herself falling into a doze as Professor Binns droned on about the Goblin Rebellion. She felt a small piece of paper hit her hand, she looked up feeling as though she'd been sleeping for hours.

She saw Mel and Kay looking a little too innocent as they pretended to be listening to the lecture. Looking back down at the scrunched paper she noticed a letter scrawled in Kay's hurried handwriting. Unfolding it, it appeared to be about the plan April had helped form in their evil little feminine minds.

_Tomorrow night, b4 dinner. Not tonight, coz of detention. Talk about it in dorm after detention._

The quick note didn't make sense, due to the multiple spelling errors, until Lily had read it over twice. _Damn,_ she thought. She kept forgetting about that detention.

She scribbled a quick ok and threw it at Kay's head. When her friend unfolded it and gave her a thumbs up she went back to trying to have her afternoon nap. Kay scrunched the paper back into an untidy ball and chucked it to the bin. She watched it as it bounced off the rim, but thought nothing of it and left the paper to rest.

"Class dismissed," Professor Binns bored voice floated over the class.

When most of the class had left a short blonde haired boy with watery blue eyes bent down by the rubbish bin and picked up a scrunched up piece of paper, before running satisfied back to his friends.

"What do you think that means?" Sirius asked trying to make out the messy writing.

"It say 'Tomorrow night, before dinner. Not tonight, coz of detention. Talk about it in dorm after detention'," Remus said fluidly, taking the piece of paper off Sirius and looking at it hard.

"I can read thank you, well sorta. How can you work out this girls writing?" Sirius said.

"I can't," James shrugged to Peter.

"I just meant what do you think they're talking about?" Sirius corrected his question.

"Probably a prank," Peter confirmed.

"Tonight?" asked James looking over Remus' shoulder.

"No, they're plotting it out tonight, after detention. They're pulling it off tomorrow," Remus said slowly thinking about it.

"That means we have to watch our bacs at dinner, seeing as its being set up before, that means that they'll pull it during dinner," Sirius concluded looking very happy with himself.

"Considering the short time it's taken to do the plot it can't be that bad," James shrugged and shouldered his bag finally exiting the class.

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to pass with hours being minutes and minutes being seconds. It was 8 o'clock and Lily stared out of the dormitory window out into the darkness of the night. The glittering stars reminded her of eyes, watching her. Different eyes showed different emotions. She knew that her's would be showing longing at the moment.

Longing for some peace, longing for her family to be together longing for…

"Hey Lils have you seen my hair brush?" Mel asked poking her head out of the bathroom.

"It probably disappeared in your hair last time you brushed it," Kay said smirking from her bed where she was reading a fiction book called 'Fly Me Off My Feet'.

Lily had given it to her for her birthday, which was during the holidays. Kay loved mystery, romance, drama and secrets. So Lily thought she'd like the book that was about a young witch who was in hiding from her evil father and fell in love with a Quidditch player. She smiled at the thought that she had been right.

She looked at Kay's eyes. They reflected emotions of wonder, anxiety and longing. Lily couldn't help but wonder what it was that her almost selfless friend was longing for. True she took care of herself well but she always put others before herself.

Looking through open bathroom door she could see Mel attempting to brush her hair. There was only one reflecting emotion in her eyes, and that was frustration. Mel was a hard book to read if you didn't know her well.

Lily looked at the golden wristwatch she'd gotten from her grandmother and wiped a smudge off the face of it with the corner of her sleeve.

"Lils?" Kay's anxious voice opened up Lily's mind again, "You look like you're thinking too hard. It's only a detention."

"I know," Lily sighed, "I was just thinking about other things."

Kay nodded understandingly as Mel entered their conversation, "What kind of things?"

"Like how the stars look like eyes. Eyes show so much emotion don't they?" Lily said airily gazing back out the window.

Kay and Mel gave each other worried looks. Lily never spoke like this.

Kay looked around for a distraction; it was scary listening to your friend babble on about feelings and eyes when she was one of the most closed off people you could ever meet.

"Oh, look at the time," Mel said pointing to Lily's watch, "We better go before McGonagall blows a gasket."

Lily nodded still only half listening, before Kay snapped her fingers in front of her face fully awakening her.

"Lils, stop it. You're freaking me out."

Lily smiled at the look of worry on Kay's face, "Ok let's go."

Mel and Kay sighed as they followed Lily out the door happy that their friend was back to her normal self.

* * *

"Peter, come on! It's just a detention!" Sirius huffed pulling Peter's leg who was struggling to keep his hold tight to the bed post.

"With McGonagall!" Peter screamed helplessly.

"Sirius stop pulling his leg, you'll dislocate it," James said while putting on a clean shirt.

Sirius smiled evilly, "That's the point."

"What!" Peter yelped letting go of the bed post ending in a heap on top of Sirius just as Remus walked in.

Remus looked down at Peter and Sirius then back up at James, "I don't want to know."

James nodded at his good idea. His eyes were drawn out the window as he looked at the black sky. He sighed as he thought about how alike eyes and stars were.

"You all ready to go?" Sirius asked shoving Peter off him and dusting himself off.

"No!" Peter whined.

James and Remus ignored him and grabbed their jackets, "Lets go get that classroom de-waxed."

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks again for reading this story! Thanks to those all who reviewed and please keep on doing so! Especially Moonlight Honeysuckle who is my wonderfully, talented editor and I've taught her that if someone gives you a gun, it is most likely to electrocute yourself.**_

_**P.S: Remember REVIEW!!! Thank you ******_


	9. Wet Detention and Perfect Strangers

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: No real big changes and less you count one thing, but I'm not going to tell you what it is! does evil dance I'm starting to get up to the bits where I'm scared of all the things I'm going to have have to change to make it good! Oh the typing! My fingers are going to be sore.  
**_

* * *

Chapter 9:

As the four boys reached the door to the classroom James tucked away a map into his cloak.

"How did you get here so fast?" James turned to see the emerald flames of Lily's eyes, "You were only coming down when we left!"

"It's called magic my dear," James said slyly tapping his nose.

Lily rolled her eyes and reached for the door handle. It was so silent that when she opened the door you could hear the well-oiled hinges squeak.

She heard Mel give a quick intake of breath at the sight of the room. It was exactly as McGonagall had promised; back to the state that Lily had created thanks to four bad cooks called the Marauders.

McGonagall stood behind her desk looking around at the room. For a moment Lily thought she saw an amused expression, but it must have been a trick of the light because when she turned to face her seven cleaners she looked far from amused.

"You may start wherever. And I don't care what time you finish it WILL be clean. And no magic!" She finished, snatching all of their wands and striding out of the door slamming it behind her.

Because most of the castle was asleep the slam was left echoing through the corridor. Lily felt a shiver go down her spine at the silence.

"So," Sirius broke the silence, "Who can do wandless spells?"

Lily sighed and dragged Kay and Mel towards where there were seven buckets of water.

"Eww, our fingers are going to get all wrinkly," grumbled Kay.

"The sooner we finish the sooner we can sleep," Mel said picking up a bucket.

"Knowing McGonagall these will refill themselves when we run out, so we won't have to fetch more," Lily said picking up her heavy bucket, "We will start on this side you can start on that side."

Lily pointed to the right side of the room, which was by far the messiest, indicating the Marauder's workload.

"And what if we don't want to?" James said standing up to Lily.

"Then you will spend the rest of this night soaked through to your underwear in soap and water," Lily threatened.

James grudgingly picked up a bucket and flawlessly chucked it to Sirius not spilling a drop. The rest of them grabbed their buckets and headed over to where the girls were working.

"I thought we told you to work over there Black?" Kay said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah well we didn't want to," Sirius replied cockily.

"I'm warning you Black," Kay raised her bucket to show she was serious about Lily's threat.

"So am I," Sirius grinned raising his bucket.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Want a bet?" Sirius smirked as he tipped the soapy contents of his bucket over Kay's head.

And ear piercing scream rang out through the class room.

"BLACK YOU ARE SO DEAD!" Kay yelled as loud as her voice would allow.

She hurled her bucket at his head, which missed soaking James.

Lily laughed hysterically which lead to James bucket turned up on her head.

She felt her anger boil and tried to throw the soapy water at James, who ducked quickly avoiding the water. This meant that Kay got even wetter than she already was.

"Lily!"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to!" Lily could help but laugh.

Kay turned angrily to Remus and Sirius who were using each other as support as they were laughing so hard.

"Oh come on boys don't be shy," Kay said in an icy voice grabbing a shocked looking Mel's bucket along with her refilled one, "Join in the party!"

Remus and Sirius spluttered, as they were covered head to toe in cold bubbles and water.

Lily laughed harder feeling that her sides would split, "You sound like you're puffing yourself out Evans. Maybe you'd like a cool down," Remus said walking casually over to Lily and tipping his bucket out.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Lily screamed at how cold the water was.

No one is quite sure how long the water fight went on for. Though by the time it was over the whole room was so wet that the wax had seemed to clean itself away.

And it was also certain that the five that had been doing the water chucking had received just as much as a bath as the room did.

Five only because Mel and Peter weren't counted. They had spent the whole time of their detention hiding under the teacher's desk covering their heads every time someone came by with a bucket.

"Do you think it's clean?" Remus said sarcastically panting heavily.

"No I think we missed a spot," James said picking up a bucket and tipping it over Lily's head again.

"Potter!" Lily yelled grabbing him by the back of his shirt and used all of her force to pull him over to where the rest of the full buckets were placed.

"Come on Lily, I didn't mean it. It was just a bit of fun," James pleaded but Lily just shoved him down into the buckets.

There was a loud clang as the buckets tipped spilling the rest of the water, "Ahh! Cold!"

Kay and Lily fell back to back on the ground too exhausted to do anything else.

Remus and Sirius went over to help James up each grabbing a hand as they heard the door squeak slightly.

The five who weren't in hiding turned to face Professor McGonagall, "I see you've finished."

McGonagall gave a satisfied smile before opening the door wider, "I shall escort you back to your dorms seeing as it is now," she checked her watched to be sure she had the correct time, "12 o'clock and it would be inappropriate if you were to go back unsupervised."

Mel and Peter now came out of hiding. Lily and Kay looked over at the soaked Marauders all smiling at each other for the first time.

"One moment Professor, we've just discovered some hidden dirt," James said casually walking over to Peter.

Mel gave a squeak of anxiety and made for the door but not before Kay and Lily grabbed her by either arm, "As have we Professor," they smile innocently.

Peter seeing where this was leading jumped through James' opening arms and made for the door, but this time Remus and Sirius grabbing his arms.

This time Lily was positive that the Professor was definitely smiling with amusement, "Very well then. I will be outside." The Professor closed the door quietly behind her. Only moments later hearing a squeal and a scream issuing from the other side of it.

When the door opened next a very disgruntled and soapy looking Peter stepped out, "It's all clean now Professor."

Mel came out after squeezing her hair out dry. Five more very happy looking people walked out after them nodding to the Professor.

It was a fairly silent walk back through the corridors except for when Mel and Peter gave their friends grumpy glares which resulted in their friends cracking up, though at the same time trying to muffle their laughs.

"Up to your dorms immediately," McGonagall instructed strictly sending the two groups their separate ways for the night.

It didn't take any of them long to slip into warm P.J's and slide under the welcoming covers. There was nothing like slipping into a warm bed after a chilling water fight with some of your worst enemies.

It was possible that all three girls and all four boys were thinking the same thoughts at the exact same time, because all three girls and all four boys all sat up at the same time too.

"Did we just have FUN with the Marauders?" Lily, Kay and Mel all said in disbelief at the same time.

"Did we just have FUN with the girls?" the Marauders all said at the same time from across the other side of Gryffindor tower.

There was a few moments of silence before both separate groups laughed, "No way," and lay back down this time hopefully letting their heads take them out of harsh reality and into a more enjoyable place.

* * *

Lily woke up the next morning, feeling a little more refreshed than usual. Once sitting up, she looked he body up and down, and found her pyjamas soaked though with water. Hearing a scream echo from the bed next to her, she knew who the culprits were and she knew that with April's fantastic plan they were definitely going to pay.

Lily pulled back her curtains that surrounded her bed, and came face to face with two, sopping wet angry faces.

"Bags the bathroom first!" Lily yelled, jumping off the bed and sprinting towards the bathroom and slamming the door in her friends' angry faces.

Lily came out soon after, feeling totally dry, and squeezed through the door before both Kay and Mel both ran full pelt to get through the door first which ended up with them both stuck through the door and Lily forced to push Kay's arse through the door.

"Come on Lils! One more push and I shall have the bathroom! I'm so close I can feel it! I'm going to beat Mel!" Kay yelled over her shoulder to Lily reaching out into the bathroom to show that she was serious. Lily pushed Kay's arse again, and this time, she came out of the door way and was launched into the bathroom, where as Mel landed straight on the floor and she was this close to having her nose slammed into the door.

"Remind me not to race Kay into the bathroom again," groaned Mel, standing up and rubbing her nose.

"Well, McGonagall didn't succeed! I am still going to Hogsmeade today, whether she likes it or not!" said Lily defiantly, as she started to get ready "Even though my back is KILLING me!"

"Yes, well that's you're fault. I was smart enough to hide under the desk with Peter" Mel said smugly.

"By the way, what were you doing under the table?" Lily asked her and she turned pink.

"Oh nothing, just talking..." Mel stumbled.

Lily glared at her pink-faced friend, "Mel, spill."

"Well, he kinda, sorta, really wants me to go out with him again."

"WHAT!" exclaimed Lily and a voice from the bathroom. Kay emerged from the bathroom, a towel rapped up her hair on top of her head and she was glowing with rage.

"How could you even THINK to get back together with that piece of vermin? We're supposed to bring them down, not get back together with them! What's the point of that if we went crawling back to them? How could you betray us like that for a worm like him?" Kay yelled at her, becoming very flushed in the face, and Mel going possibly redder.

"I'm sorry! I can't control how I feel!" Mel cried, tears swelling up in her eyes as her friend yelled at her.

"And it's just making it worse my LETTING yourself like him!"

"Mel, you're going to have to choose between us and Peter because we and the Marauders are enemies and you can't be friends with both of us. So are you with us, or against us?" Lily asked her gently, trying not to upset her more than Kay had.

"Of course I'm with you! You guys mean more to me than Pettigrew," Mel exclaimed

"Good, just like we should!" said Kay, crossing her arms and getting a dirty look from Lily

"Mel, you should go and get ready for Hogsmeade," said Lily gently. Mel nodded and grabbed her hairbrush, which for once, hadn't been misplaced, and walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Kay, don't you think you were being a little harsh?" Lily asked her when she heard the shower water running so Mel couldn't hear her.

"No. I've jeopardised my relationship with my boyfriend for this, so why should she go back with Peter?" cried Kay.

"You have a boyfriend?"

Kay looked startled and almost covered her mouth with her hands.

"Who is it and why would our war with the boys have anything to do with your relationship with someone else?"

"It's nothing, he just thinks that I might, you know, let it all go to my head and be unfaithful. But Lily I think I really love him. He's so sweet and funny."

"But who is it?" Lily pressed trying to hide that she was frustrated with Kay for not telling her she had a boyfriend in the first place.

"I don't want to tell you yet," Kay said simply but the look in her eyes told Kay that she meant it.

"Kay, you like Sirius don't you?" Lily said gently, quietly walking over towards her bed.

"Yes" came a muffled reply. Lily was a little taken back at this, as she thought Kay would deny it point blank.

"You do?" Lily said surprised.

"Well, I think so. Not as much as I used to, but I still have some feelings for him, but I'm not going to turn around and go out with him after all we've gone through to plan revenge. I just don't think Mel realises this," Kay said through the closed curtain.

"How long have you liked him?" Lily exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh ages! Third year, I think. But I'm trying to ignore it. I feel like if I focus on it then it will just jumble up this war thing. I only didn't tell you Lily because I thought you liked him!"

"Me like him! No way!"

"But you're always blushing around him and so quiet and everything."

"Oh," Kay said now smiling suspiciously, "So it's someone else."

Lily felt her face growing hotter, after seeing Kay blow up at Mel for liking Peter what would happen if she found out she liked Remus? She guessed that Remus and Peter were two completely different people, but they were all hypocrites anyway, "Why are we talking about liking the Marauders when we just blew up at Mel for liking Peter?"

"Like I said I just don't think she gets how difficult this strain can be on a relationship. Anyway he's a little creep."

"Maybe she doesn't understand, but wouldn't it be better if you had just told her this instead of yelling at her and accusing her of betraying us?"

"Maybe," was the only reply.

"Maybe what?" Mel asked, walking out of the bathroom, fully dried.

"Maybe we shouldn't let Kay into Honeydukes," Lily said, smirking at her friend.

"Hey!' Kay yelled, pulling back the curtains around the bed and chased Mel and Lily down the stairs, though the common room and through the portrait hole into a startled looking April.

"What took you guys so long?" April asked, while they picked themselves off the ground.

"The boys pulled another prank on us," Kay growled, shaking her fist at an imaginary Marauder.

"Well, don't waste time worrying about it. We'll be getting them back soon enough," April pointed out, "Should we be going now?"

"Yeah, lets go!"

* * *

"I heard yelling, they must have finally woken up," Remus said to the others, while they sat in the common room, waiting for the girls to come down and scream at them. It looked like they were screaming at themselves first though. Well, at least Kay was, Remus could recognise her voice anywhere.

"Shouldn't be long now then. Hope they hurry up, I want to get to Zonko's before everything's sold out," Sirius said, lounging on his usual chair by the fire.

"Yeah, but since when has Zonko's sold out?" James asked

"Since today when everyone's arrived at Zonko's before me."

"Okay?"

"Why haven't they come down yet?" Remus asked, breaking up the Zonko's conversation

"Its only been three minutes and forty-two seconds," Peter pointed out

"You're counting?" exclaimed Sirius

"Yeah, he's waiting for Mel to come down so he can ask her out," Remus said

"WHAT?" yelled James and Sirius "How could you know and not me?" Sirius asked Remus in disbelief

"Easily. The last time Peter told you who he liked, you took his Scooby-Doo boxers and tacked them to the common room noticed board with a note that said 'Sleep with Peter and get a taste of the Scoobmister'," Remus reminded him and Peter glared at Sirius, remembering that time when he was trying to ask Monica Hubble out.

"Oh yea...,"

Just then, Lily and Mel ran right through the common room and straight the portrait hole, followed by an angry Kay.

"Well, there you go," said James, watching them go.

"Come on, you can ask them in Hogsmeade. Let's go."

* * *

"Well, actually Kay, I was serious about not letting you into Honeydukes," said Lily, as she and Mel dragged her past the shop in question.

"But whhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyy?" she complained

"Because we have to go shopping for our dresses for the Christmas Ball" Mel said, like it was so obvious.

"What Christmas Ball?" said Lily in surprise, dropping Kay in the process.

"The one they're holding on Christmas Day, duh. I thought you would have known," Mel explained to an astounded Lily and Kay.

"Well, that _is_ a good reason to go shopping!" Lily announced, heading straight towards the teen witch dress shop. Kay and Mel followed her in.

Mel had instantly picked out a sunny yellow dress robe that made her dark hair stand out beautifully. Lily had taken around half an hour to find the right dress, but she settled on a midnight blue halter neck.

Kay was a different story. She spent and hour trying on every style she liked in all the different colours to see which one she liked best. Lily finally settled her with a floor length halter neck in the same colour as Lily's.

"It's a bit much isn't it?" Mel asked.

"Mel one thing you should know about Kay is that her parents are millionaires and that she always dresses to be the most attractive on the dance floor," Lily explained simply.

"Lils that's two things," Kay said, but Lily just shrugged. They were having too much fun to worry about technical stuff like talking, "And besides," Kay added to Mel, "Now Lils and I can look like twins!"

Once paying for their dresses, they all left the shop. Lily, who was still putting her change back into her wallet, crashed into something that wasn't quite solid, spilling her money onto the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm such a cluts!" Lily said apologetically, bending down to the ground to pick up her money.

"Its okay. Here, let me help you," a deep voice said, bending down to help her pick up her money.

"Uh, thanks," said Lily, once they finished picking up the coins, stood up and he handed her money back to her.

"You're welcome," he said. Lily looked up to see who she had bumped into.

Her breath caught as she took in his features. With broad shoulders, silver eyes, tall, kind smile, messy light brown hair, he was just gorgeous.

"I've never seen you before, do you go to Hogwarts?" Lily asked the stranger.

"Of course! I'm only sixteen! I'm in Ravenclaw."

"Oh I see, I'm in Gryffindor. So, are you here with your girlfriend?" Lily asked him, praying he was single as she couldn't help thinking he was soooo cute!

"Uh, no. Actually, I just broke up with my girlfriend a few days ago, so now I'm back to being a single man," he said, smiling

"Bummer, especially since we're having a ball on Christmas. Have you heard about that?" Lily asked him, hoping he wasn't one of those thick guys and hoping he could take a hint.

"Yeah, I heard about it. Though I'm not worried, I'll find someone. How about you?" he asked, flashing a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

"Oh, no. No one's asked me yet,"

"Well-" he started but he was cut off by a,

"Oh LIIIIIIIILLLYYYYYYYYY!"

She turned around to find James, Sirius and Peter running towards her.

"What?" she snapped, "You know, I have a life too, can't you for once leave me alone?"

"What, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Sirius smirked and Lily gave him her best death stare.

"Evans, have you seen Mel?" Peter asked, eyeing the tall guy that was standing behind Lily, who seemed to be a bit puzzled.

"Uh, Lily I think I'll see you around," said her perfect stranger, starting to back away from the glowing faces of James and Sirius.

"No, its okay its just-" Lily said, turning around to face him but he was already gone, "Gee, thanks a lot!" she snapped at them "What do you want?"

"Mel," said Peter simply

"She went that way" pointing the place she last saw her and Kay.

"Thanks," said Peter happily and skipped off in that direction followed by James and Sirius that were looking at him skipping in disgust.

Lily turned around to see if he had come back, but with no luck, she slowly set off after them.

"Finally," said Kay, once she had caught up with them "You're just in time to see Peter being dumped. Hard."

"Mel, so do you want do go out with me next Saturday?"

"Uh, no. Why would I go out with you?"

"But what about last night?" Peter stammered.

"Do you seriously think I would ditch my friends to go out with you, after all the planning we've done to bring you down?" Mel snapped

"I, uh, um-"

"Just leave before you embarrass yourself anymore then you have," she said, pointing out to him the direction where Sirius and James were already standing, laughing their heads off at Peter's rejection. After he had slouched off, Lily and Kay came over to Mel who was looking rather down.

"You don't think I was too harsh?" she asked them.

"No, you were perfect. I don't think he'll be crawling back now!" said Kay gleefully.

"I feel really bad though..."

"Mel, he tipped water on top of you while you were sleeping!" Kay exclaimed

"Okay, I feel better now."  
****

* * *

****

**_A/N: Thank you so so much to my editor Moonlight Honeysuckle for writing a portion of this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed. Sorry for the long wait, school is back and it's a pain. But I will do my best, promise! As for now please REVIEW!_**


	10. Dates, Duds and Secret Kisses

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: A pretty big change here! If you can figure out what it is.  
**_

* * *

Chapter 10:

"That was a good fall mate," James said patting a downhearted Peter on the shoulder.

"I thought," Peter started but stopped again.

"We all think, thinking that thinking will make us smarter, when really thinking turns our brains to mush," Sirius stated.

"Where were you guys? I've been standing here for twenty minutes," said an annoyed Remus.

"Getting rejected," James said trying to prevent a laugh.

Remus rolled his eyes and started walking.

"What's up with him?" Peter asked.

"Probably the ball and worrying whether he can get a date or not," Sirius explained.

"I can and will get a date," Remus said confidently.

"Won't we all," James smiled, "Maybe with the exception of Peter."

"Hey!" yelled Peter in his own defence, "I will get a date, and it will be Mel."

"Wormtail you are so hung up on this girl it scares me."

"Let her go mate," Sirius said putting a hand on his shorter friends shoulder before piping up again, "Now can we go to Zonko's!"

"Yes, now we can go," said Remus satisfied that they had finished all other business.

* * *

"Oh no!" cried Lily as she and her three friends past the dress shop on their way back to the Three Broomsticks where she had dropped all her money.

"What's wrong? Is something sold out?" Kay said looking into the windows.

"No," Lily sighed, "I didn't get his name."

"Whose name?" Mel asked curiously.

"The hot boy who helped me pick up my money."

"Tell us what he looks like and everything you know," Mel said confidently.

"Well he's sixth year Ravenclaw. Grey, fairly tall, a bit of a tan, broad shoulders, messy brown hair, and a gorgeous smile that makes him look so kind."

"That's like 50 of the Hogwarts male population!" Mel cried.

"Nate Ralston," Kay stated smiling proudly.

"How do you do that?" Lily said unbelievably.

"I pay close attention to small detail."

"Why did you want to know?" Mel asked ignoring Kay.

"He seemed so nice, I was hoping I could go to the ball with him," Lily said shyly.

This was about the time when Kay would start yelling out all the reasons she shouldn't go out with him and tell her something she didn't want to know to put him completely off him.

But this time was different. Kay smiled at Lily, "I got nothing! You're getting a good taste in guys. Nate is really sweet, but when he asks a girl out it's only when he really likes her for her, not because she's the hottest in the school."

"Speaking of boys, don't you want to explain to Mel about your little outburst this morning?" Lily asked casually.

"No, there's nothing to explain she shouldn't be going out with Pettigrew while we're doing these pranks. It's for your own good Mel, we're just trying to protect you."

"No I'm talking about the other thing," Lily hinted.

"What other thing?" Mel said looking hurt that she'd been left out of something.

Lily sighed and decided to say it herself, "That Kay likes Sirius."

"WHAT!" yelled both Mel and Kay.

"And she has a boyfriend, who though I have no idea," Lily glared playfully at Kay who on the other hand was looking very shocked and indignant.

"You were going to tell her weren't you?" Lily said accusingly, she hated it when Kay and Mel kept secrets from each other. It wasn't what friends do.

"No! I don't like Black! Do you think I've been faking the insults, fights and slaps I've been giving him lately?"

"But, you said," Lily said slowly very confused.

"Oh this morning," Kay gasped suddenly a blush creeping into her cheeks, "Did you really say Sirius?"

Lily nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, I thought you said someone else," Kay bit her lip and continued walking a little faster than before.

Mel looked at Lily for answers but she only received a shrug.

Lily walked a few paces behind her friends thinking about the situation. _Someone else?_ She thought, _who else could it be? Someone she's attracted to and has been attracted to before. And whose name sounds like Sirius._ Lily thought hard as they walked towards the Three Broomsticks. Only one name came to mind, the usual name that came to her mind when she thought of the Marauders. But Kay would never like him, she couldn't. At least that's what Lily hoped.

* * *

"So who are you thinking of asking to the ball?" James said passing out four butter beers to his comrades as they sat at their favourite table in the Three Broomsticks.

"I'm going to ask Mel again," Peter said in determination.

Sirius sighed, "Wormtail, she already said no. What makes you think she'll change her mind?"

"She will."

"I'm thinking of asking Lily," James said and he could hear all the groans from his friends, "I know what you're thinking. Another rejection and another 'broken heart'. This time is different though. I have a fool proof plan that even if she doesn't officially go with me, she will be with me by the end of the night."

"Like a prank to get her back for rejecting you that will make her like you and then when she snaps out of it will be totally hum humiliated?" Sirius rushed but James just shook his head.

"I thought you were giving up on Evans?" Peter asked.

"When did I say that?"

"Like two nights ago!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Oh, well I guess I lied," James smiled bashfully.

"And what would this plan that will capture Evans' heart be?" Remus made a gesture to continue with his hand.

"I'm not going to capture her heart, I just need her to go out with me, for at least one night."

"Face it Prongs, you are utterly devoted to that girl. You don't just fancy her anymore," Remus said in a very serious tone.

"I never have fancied her," under his friends disbelieving looks James decided to add, "that much."

"No you have never fancied her," Sirius agreed with James.

"Thank you Padfoot my onliest friend."

"You love her."

"I do not!," James swigged on his butter beer huffily before changing the subject, "Padfoot who are you going with?"

"I dunno. I'm considering going alone," Sirius said quietly looking at the bubbles in his drink.

Peter almost choked on the swig he was taking, "But that's like… social suicide!"

Sirius seemed to ponder the thought for a moment before replying, "You're right. What was I thinking?" he smiled broadly and leant back in his chair, back to the old Sirius, "I'll ask out Candy or someone."

"Good plan," James said. He was about to take a drink from his bottle when he caught a glow of red come through the door. He turned his head now unaware of his chatting friends.

God Lily looked beautiful after just coming in from the snow. He cheeks were paler than usual, which made her lips stand out. He green eyes glowed with a happy sparkle as she shut the door behind her.

"Over there," she pointed out April sitting by herself to her friends and they bobbed over to her.

"Where were you guys? I've felt like a loner for like ten minutes," April whined to her three new friends.

"We've been finding a boy," Kay stated.

"Like a date for the dance?"

"Do you know Nate Ralston?" Lily burst just remembering that April was also in Ravenclaw.

April looked stunned by Lily's sudden outburst, "Yeah I know Nate. Nice guy. Bit of a dickhead at times, but he's always a dependable shoulder to lean on."

"Do you think you could ask him if he likes me?"

"Oh no not you too," April said putting down her glass of apple cider.

"Me too what?" Lily asked confused.

"The whole feminine population of Ravenlaw has had a crush on this guy! I am the only sane one," April shook her head and took her delayed sip.

"So you don't think I have a chance?" Lily said in defeat.

"I'll put it the nice way," April said sympathetically, "no."

"Ehem," the sound of a throat being cleared was heard by their table and the four girls turned to see all four Marauders.

"What Potter," Lily said icily glaring daggers at James who had interrupted their important conversation.

To the boys that was like permission to speak, and as soon as the permission was applied Peter threw himself to the feet of Mel's chair, "Please, please, please go to the dance with me! I don't know who else to ask."

"So I'm a last resort?" Mel said angrily to her ex-boyfriend.

"No," Peter stood and took her hand, "You're the only resort."

Even Lily thought it was cute, and this was Pettigrew! She could her April whimpering at the cuteness of it all.

Mel gave Lily and Kay a torn look. Lily nodded enthusiastically. She didn't care about this whole war thing if it meant getting in between feelings. What could she say? She was a sucker for love.

Kay just rolled her eyes dismissively and turned to April and ignored the two short lovebirds.

"Ok," Mel smiled and tried not to giggle.

"Yes!" Peter punched a fist in the air and started to a victory dance, which, to put it nicely, was freaking everyone out.

"Is that it? You all accompanied him here for that?" Lily asked accusingly looking at Sirius and James.

James opened his mouth but then closed it with a look of defeat on his face and then replied, "Yeah that's all."

He grabbed Peter with one hand and pulled him away Sirius following his path. As Remus left her turned and smiled at who Lily thought at the time was herself, her stomach fluttered and she could feel the heat under her scarf, _Don't be stupid Lily, he was probably smiling at all of us. Besides you don't need to like a stupid Marauder anymore. You found another perfectly nice boy. Oh Merlin I wish I had kissed him that night though, I bet he would be a good kisser._

"Lily you're staring," April nudged Lily out of her daydream.

"That was it?" Lily asked being pulled back into reality, "No Lily please go to the ball with me? Or anything!"

"What, did you want him to ask you?" Kay raised an eyebrow and sat back in her chair. She had been strangely quiet since Lily had mentioned the still liking someone thing.

"No," Lily said quickly, "I just wasn't expecting it."

"I have a date," then decided to announce, "I, April Winter. Have a date to the Christmas dance."

"With who?" Lily asked curiously.

"Amos Diggory," she said proudly, "He's a seventh year Hufflepuff."

"I bloody know who Amos is!" Kay said excitedly, "How did you get him to go with you?"

"I bumped into him at the library and he took interest in one of the books I was reading at the time."

"I knew I was meant to be with Peter," Mel began accusing Kay, "You were wrong to make us feel we couldn't get back together. We were meant to be together."

Kay ignored Mel and sat with Lily drinking the butter beer that hand just been served to them while listening to their friends rants.

"So Kay who are you going with?" Mel finally asked, she said it slyly. She already knew the answer to this, it was just a chance to rub he nose in it.

Kay gave her friend a dirty look and took another sip of the drink before answering, "No one."

"Really? But you always have a date before any of us!" Mel said falsely.

"I think I'm going to go alone on this one."

"But that's social suicide!" April gasped.

"She's only going alone because to every other annual event where we have to have a date she's always gone with her boyfriend or gotten the guy she likes. But this year the guy you likes already has a date doesn't he?" Lily asked wisely.

"I dunno, I haven't asked him. And I'm not going to, if he wants to he can ask me himself," Kay said simply glaring for some reason in the direction of the Marauder's table. She then sighed, "Maybe he just doesn't want to make it a public thing, he can be like that sometimes."

_So it definitely isn't Sirius,_ Lily thought. If it had been Sirius she would have said a simple yes, and he would have definitely wanted to make it public, _But it still must be one of the Marauder's. Would she dare to fall for James' charm again? Wait what am I talking about? What charm?_

"Lils," Kay said snapping Lily out of her thoughts, "With whom shall thy lovely lady be going with?" Kay liked to speak that way sometimes. It was quite strange.

"Umm no one. Yet," Lily emphasized the yet.

April sighed getting the point, "I'll ask Nate when we get back to the common room."

Lily smiled broadly and hugged their new friend, "Thank you thank you thank you! This means so much to me. I've never felt this way about anyone else before. " Lily knew that that wasn't true but no one else knew that.

"You only said a few words to him," Mel said pointedly.

"I don't care, there was a connection. I have a way of seeing these things as soon as they happen."

Mel and Kay looked at each other knowingly, "Sure," they said in unison.

"What happened?" Sirius asked quietly leaning closer to James, "I thought we were going to ask her the question."

James shook his head, "I'll just go strait to the plan."

Remus and Sirius exchanged worried looks. James never just went to the other plan, asking Lily out always came first.

"Besides, I'm supposed to be over her aren't I?"

"No," all other three Marauders answered.

"Right," James said looking down at the table.

* * *

Lily hopped up and down to gain feeling back in one of her legs. She was standing outside the Ravenclaw tower's entrance to wait for April to come back out.

Mel and Kay had gone back to the Gryffindor common room to prepare for their next big prank. Ok so it wasn't big. And it wasn't going to make the guys fear them. It was just like their first one, a little warning that they were still there.

Lily sighed as she thought of all the things people would be saying when they pulled the first portion of the prank. Probably something like, "Have you heard about the last prank Evans and her friends pulled on the Marauders? It was crap, they are so out of their league."

As soon as April got her this answer she would be on her way back to Gryffindor tower to where they could get this plan started. Hopefully like they planned the boys would be in the great hall stuffing their faces while they set up their prank.

She heard the door to the entrance of the Ravenclaw common room creak as it opened. She looked up expecting to see April standing there, hopefully with a yes for an answer. But when she looked up and saw the tall boy standing in front of her, her heart skipped three beats. Her head only came up to his eye level. He looked down at her with soft eyes, though he looked a bit sad for some reason.

"Lily right?" he asked looking at his feet.

_So cute, he's looking at his feet. Maybe he likes me, and he's shy and he's trying to say yes! Drat maybe I should answer so he doesn't think I'm mental._

"Yeah, hi again," Lily waved trying to keep her cool but the butterflies in her stomach were affecting it.

"Yeah, umm listen April tells me that you want to go to this dance with me."

Lily felt her smile fall, this didn't sound good, "Yeah," now it was her turn to look sad and stare at the floor.

"I'm really sorry. Lots of girls have asked me this and I would like to get to know you better, but I have a girlfriend. And I'm going with her. I hope you understand."

"Yeah of course I do. Bye," Lily had to get out of this quickly she was going to cry. She hadn't cried in a little while, especially over a guy. Not since James had called her a bitch.

She turned and walked briskly back down the hallway.

"Can you believe him!" Lily roared as she entered the common room scaring a few second years still up.

"He said no didn't he?" Kay said from her chair mixing up something that looked like red honey and golden sparkles.

"He already has a girlfriend! Could he not have told me when he realised I was deeply in love with him?"

"Lils you said three words to him. He's not going to know through three words. Get over him, he's a dickhead."

Lily sighed. Kay was right, "Where's Mel?"

"Dinner with Pettigrew. She said she wasn't doing anything useful anyway so why bother."

"I'm going to bed, this whole thing is too frustrating!"

"You can't you have to stay down here with me otherwise this whole thing is fucked."

Lily grudgingly sat down on the sofa next to Kay and watched her mix the substance, "That looks disgusting."

"It's supposed to. So let me get this strait. You stay down here and if anyone tries to go up there while I'm putting this stuff in their beds you stall them."

"Yeah, so what is this supposed to do besides make them sticky red and… shiny?"

"It makes them moody, like really moody and emotional. They'll be acting like hormonal girls for the next two days," Kay smiled evilly.

Lily nodded slowly, it wasn't actually that bad of a prank, "Is it ready?"

Kay nodded and got up from the sofa. She looked a little tired and yet she still continued on with her job, "Remember to stall for me."

"Yeah, yeah," Lily waved a hand and picked up an issue of 'Witch Weekly' from beside the sofa.

Kay knew that Lily was in a bad mood that meant she would NOT be paying attention and most likely forget to stall.

She tiptoed up the stairs that she had been lead her up many times before and found the oak door that hid the pig stye the boys called a room. Cautiously opening the door she had to cover her nose with her free hand as she was hit with a strong smell of sweaty socks and dirty clothes.

She made her way of to Remus' bed first and trickled the red goop over his covers. The good thing about this potion being red was that it blended in with the colour of the sheets.

She'd done Remus', Peter's and James' bed and was making her way over to Sirius bed, then she could get out of here.

* * *

"Hey Evans," Sirius said lazily walking into the common room, Lily completely ignored him.

Sighing heavily he made his way up the stairs. On reaching the door he realised that it had already been opened. And by the sound of it someone was inside.

Opening the door as quietly as he could he slipped inside and closed it behind him. He stood watching with an amused expression as Kay continued on with what she had been doing without realising he was there.

As she reached his bed and tipped the jar that contained the red potion Sirius cleared his throat.

"You know I prefer my bed to be red doop free when I go to bed," he said it calmly and smiled when she jumped and dropped the jar on the floor.

"Sirius!" Kay started, "I mean…. Black!"

Sirius frowned a little at her sudden accusation. Did she just call him Sirius?

"What do you think you're doing in here?" She continued a little more confidently this time.

"Ummm going to bed? This is my dorm after all."

Kay looked at her bare feet a little ashamed of herself that she hadn't thought of that. She raised her head, "Well, goodnight Black." She walked quickly to the door but her arm was grabbed as she reached for the handle.

"Say it again."

"What Black?"

"No," Sirius turned her towards him, "Call me Sirius again."

"Sirius? I don't know what you're on, but I'd prefer you keep it away from me," Kay was suddenly aware of the little sparkle in the corner of his silver eyes.

Sirius smiled at the sound of his real name being spoken through her refined lips. What he did surprised even himself, because it was as if his body was doing the exact opposite of what his mind was telling him to do.

Instead of letting go of her arm and shoving her through the door like he was planning. His hand tightened its grip and pulled her closer so that she was against his chest.

Kay was in a similar situation. Instead of slapping the taller boy, which was what she was mentally struggling to do, she was she seemed to allow him to pull her in until she was pressed against his chest.

When she was looking up into his eyes like he had dreamt of he leant forward until their lips met. He had been expecting it to be quick and unreal but once his lips where pressed against hers she deepened the kiss while one hand settled around his neck.

Running away with their lips and not their minds Sirius and Kay made their way over to Sirius' bed and collapsed on it.

One thing Sirius found out that night was that as delicate as Kay may have seemed she definitely wasn't a gentle kisser.

* * *

Lily looked up from her magazine as Mel and three Marauders entered the room. She gave Mel a betrayed glare.

_Wait?…_ Lily stopped her thoughts, completely closing her magazine now, _wasn't there four of them last time I saw them?_ She recounted the Marauders and just as she had thought there was one missing.

"Where is the fourth?" Lily asked abruptly confusing the boys.

"Fourth what?" James asked.

"One of you," Lily realised she wasn't making any sense when even Remus was giving her a puzzled look, "Black! Where is Black?"

"He came up here about an hour ago, he was feeling pretty crap."

Lily and Mel gasped at the same time, realisation hitting them at the same time.

"Shit! Mel, you couldn't have stopped him from leaving?" Lily hollered.

"I was preoccupied! Couldn't you have stalled him?" Mel whined.

James, Remus and Peter let their eyes travel watching the two ranting friends.

A sudden thump stopped everyone and they turned in the direction of the boy's staircase.

Kay stood up abruptly seeing everyone in the common rooms eyes lock onto her. Fixing up her shirt that was untucked and crinkled, she motioned to Lily that she was finished and to meet her up in the dorm, avoiding the boys all together.

No one had moved as Kay dashed to the girl's staircase. She didn't have time to climb them though.

A throat was cleared back over by the boy's stairs and Kay turned quickly to face Sirius across the room. His hair was a shocking mess and his shirt was undone and hanging off one shoulder as he extended one arm and held out what appeared to be a pink lacy bra.

Kay's cheeks flamed but she said nothing as she stomped back to where she had come from and snatched the bra from Sirius' hands, "Pervert," she growled and stomped back to the girl's dorms this time disappearing into the dorms.

Sirius looked casually at his mates before shrugging as if he had no idea what was going and disappeared back up the stairs.

Lily was speechless, and by the sound of it so was everyone else.

"Goodnight Potter," Lily said quickly not making eye contact with anyone before fallowing the path Kay had made.

Mel gave Peter a peck on the cheek before following Lily, having to jog to keep up with the taller girl's long strides.

"Well tonight has been eventful," Remus said bitterly breaking the silence between the other two remaining Marauders.

Peter just nodded and James was still staring at where Sirius had been standing.

"Lets all hit they sack shall we?" James finally said clapping his hands together and heading off towards the staircase with Peter close behind, "You coming Mooney."

"No. I'm not tired I'm going for a walk," he called to them in the same bitter tone he had used before as he turned abruptly and exited through the portrait hole.

"What's got his wand stuck up his arse?" Peter asked, but kept walking.

"I dunno," James answered quietly but didn't follow immediately. _What did have Mooney's wand up his arse?_

* * *

_**A/N: So sorry this took so long to update. I'm up to my eyeballs in homework and I had a tad bit of a writer's block. But still I beg you to review and I'm sorry if the next chapter takes a while to come along, I hope you understand. Thank you.**_


	11. Letters made to Tear

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: No real big changes that I recall... **_

* * *

Chapter 11:

"Piss off Diggory," Kay snarled as Amos Diggory opened his mouth to probably ask something about April, as he had been doing lately, but was crudely shoved away.

"What's up with her today?" Mel whispered to Lily as they watched their friends back as she trudged up the hall to breakfast that Sunday morning.

"She laid in some of that red stuff April told us to make for the prank when she was making _lurv _with Black," Lily said loud enough for Kay to hear. They were never going to let her live that night down. Never.

"Oh come off it," Kay rounded on her friends, "We weren't making love, it was just a heavy make out session, that's all and it didn't mean anything. And oh Merlin," Kay's emotions suddenly changed from outraged to despair, "And I screwed everything up majorly. He was standing right there and he saw me. I betrayed him and he will never forgive me," she now seemed close to tears even though she was more or less talking to herself.

"Well at least she's living proof the potion was a success."

Mel sighed heavily but avoided Kay's glare when her friend turned with an annoyed expression gleaming in her eyes, "And she's already moody enough as she is without enhancements. I don't think I can put up with another forty-eight hours of this attitude."

Word had gotten around in one night about Sirius Black and Kaydence Crew's little _adventure_ in the boy's dormitory the night before. There were numerous different variations of it going around.

The Slytherins preferred the one where implied rape was acquired and the pregnancy of an underage witch was underway. But none of the other students let alone teachers believed that of course.

Hufflepuffs had started the rumour of the long forgotten love relationship between the two and when they both finally came to realisation, couldn't stand to be without the other for a moment longer.

Gryffindors were the only house that knew the true story of the night but some were leaning towards believing the Ravenclaws side of the story, which was also quite believable and close to reality.

"Padfoot and Kaydence sitting in a tree, doing things they shouldn't be," chimed a bit too cheery James first thing in the morning, skipping circles around a very tired looking Sirius.

"Shut it Prongs," snapped both Remus and Sirius. James looked curiously at Remus after his reaction, but then decided to continue on with his taunting.

"Shut it before I do it for you," grumbled the black haired boy who was stirring his cup of hot chocolate as he sat at the long house table.

"Oh but where's the fun in that?" James laughed.

Only who would know why James was the only seemingly happy Marauder. It could have been possible that he had seen the empty jar lying on the floor beside one of the beds and was smart enough not to jump straight under the covers that were smothered in the potion. Unlike an oblivious Peter Pettigrew and forgetful Sirius Black, the later having already been exposed to it during his exploit with Miss Crew.

Remus too had been smart enough to clear up the mess before he went to bed after he returned from his mysterious walk. Yet, he still seemed a little on the offside from what he usually seemed as he was quiet and seemed to get up set easily.

"You know the smart thing to do would be to keep him happy for the next forty-eight hours so he doesn't hex us into oblivion," Remus said smartly as he put some bacon on his plate forcing a smile onto his face.

"But that would mean no fun, no teasing and no annoying him to hell," James said trying to look serious about the matter but he couldn't hide the small smile creeping across his lips.

"Are you two bloody gits going to be like this all day?" Sirius glared at his friends.

Remus and James seemed to ponder on the question for a few moments before answering.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Brilliant."

* * *

April bounced up past the boys on her way to sit with Lily, Mel and Kay. She had taken to sitting at the Gryffindor table for most meals now; sometimes if she needed to study she would just grab a snack for lunch or dinner but breakfast was usually spent with the girls.

"So, how did the prank go?" she asked, sitting down and helping herself to some kippers.

"You mean you haven't heard?" Mel asked in surprise

"Heard what? I accidentally over slept this morning, so by the time I woke up, everyone had gone."

"Good, one less person to be annoyed by," Kay snapped, thumping a passer by who was singing that ridiculous 'sitting in the tree' song.

"What's wrong with her? It seems like she's the one who ended up in the goo, not the boys," April said in surprise, speaking to Mel and Lily. The third was too grumpy to care.

"Well, actually she did…." Mel started, looking at Lily for help to explain. April just stared at them, waiting for someone to explain.

"And why is everyone singing 'Sirius and Kaydence sitting in a tree'? She wasn't in Sirius's bed, was she?"

"Yep. Apparently Sirius sprung her pouring the goo in their beds and apparently they both had raging hormones at the time as the next thing we know, Kay is running out of the boys dormitory with Sirius following her, holding her pink bra."

"That's heavy but understandable of course," April shrugged now helping herself to some toast.

"Why do you say that?" Lily asked her, puzzled as she looked between her grouchy friend to her calm one.

"Well, it was a bit obvious that she liked someone out of them. It couldn't be better because, lets face it, who likes Peter?"

At this, Mel made a loud exclamation but Lily just ignored her, wanting to hear more of April's insight.

"And it couldn't be James because the only person James cares about is you, who you've rejected a million times, so that means that no one has a chance, so why should Kay think any better?

Then Remus, well, I just don't see it, do you? Last but not least, there is Sirius Black. Ever wondered why neither Sirius nor Kay planned on going out with anyone?"

"How do you know all this?" Lily asked in surprise at her friend's logic.

"I know things. I'm surprised you didn't," April replied simply.

"Why do you think I couldn't go out with Remus? IS he too 'good looking' for me? Is he to 'smart for me? I can bloody go out with whoever I want. And I am NOT going to go out with Black," Kay burst after listening to April.

"Wow that stuff really did work."

* * *

"Finally!" exclaimed Sirius as the morning mail started flying into the Great Hall, "How long does it take to get the mail to this place. It's not that hard to miss."

Remus and James nodded absent minded to one of Sirius' tenth mood swings that morning. James had grown tired of singing that old song and it seemed plenty of other people had taken up the job for him anyway.

"Would you stop singing that crappy song!" Sirius ybellowed at a small group of Ravenclaw boys, "Merlin's beard I think I'm loosing my marbles. Next thing I know it I won't be grouchy, I'll be crying in the middle of Potions. Prongs? Promise me you will shoot me if that happens."

"Sure Padfoot," James said staring down the table where Lily and April were laughing at Mel who was trying to defend herself against Kay's explosion of raging accusations.

"You weren't listening," Sirius gasped offended, "Mooney he wasn't listening, he said he would shoot me. My Prongsie would never agree to something like that," Sirius began shaking his head repeatedly.

"Ok Sirius," Remus replied spooning some of the Coco Pops he'd just served himself.

Sirius gasped again, "You called me Sirius! You never call me by my birth name. I've done something haven't I? What have I done to deserve this!"

James and Remus tried to ignore Sirius as they continued serving themselves and eating what they already had.

"Neither of you are listening to me! In my desperate time of need," Sirius cried attracting a few eyes, "What kind of bloody friends are you anyway."

"He'll get over it," James reassured the small gathering of students walking their way.

"What did you get?" Remus asked James handing Sirius his mail that had missed the milk jug by centimetres.

"The usual. A letter from mum, the _'Daily Prophet'_, the new practice timetable and junk," James said, vanishing the few things he had described as junk.

"Does your mum ever get sore hands from writing so many letters?"

"Never, she worries everyday no matter how many times I say I'm fine in my letters, bless her soul."

"My mum never sends me letters," Sirius grumbled, back into his grouchy mood.

"Yeah but that's because your mum doesn't care," Remus explained, "Remember you're the humiliating embarrassment to the whole entire family of the 'Great Black?'"

Sirius sniffed and put his chin on his folded arms.

"Yeah, real sensitive Mooney."

* * *

"What did you get?" April asked as she sorted her letters out on the table.

"The _'Daily Prophet'_, the book I ordered three hundred weeks ago, and a letter from the folks," Lily said placing the book on top of the _'Daily Prophet'_ as she started taring open the letter from home.

"Three hundred weeks is a bit of an exaggeration isn't it?" Kay said seriously, "If it was three hundred weeks that would be over six years. You wouldn't have even been at this school."

"Kay she was exaggerating you were right, let it go," Mel complained.

"I know, I was I was just making sure you all knew it."

Lily blocked out all the noise her friends were providing to attempt to read her letter in peace. As usual there were more than one pieces of paper inside the envelope. One from Petunia, one from mum and one from… _There's only two? Where's dad's?_

She looked thoroughly but still only two pieces of paper were inside the envelope. Maybe she could take this as a good sign, maybe her mother and father were writing their letters together like they used to when she was in second year.

_**Dear Sister, **__(this was obviously from Petunia)_

_**Duh, of course I'm still with Vernon. We got engaged last month, too bad you won't be back for the wedding. **(yes I'm sure you're absolutely devastated)_

_**As for being well, I can't say much, except that I don't think you will enjoy mother's letter much.**_

_**When you write back remember you are not the only person in the world and that her happiness matters also.**_

_Merry Christmas from Petunia_

_That was strange. I wasn't expecting much but it was definitely shorter than her last one. Now for the other letter, I wonder what Petunia is talking about._

Lily unfolded the letter that was written on in her mother neat hand writing as always.

_**Dearest Lily,**_

_**I'm Am so glad to hear that you have made a new friend, with such a lovely name too. And give Melissa and Kaydence my best wishes for them and also wish Kay well on her journey into independence.**_

_**Your sister and I shall miss you dearly through Christmas, though I hope you have a good one. You will hopefully be receiving your present through the same way as you always do.**_

_**And I am so proud that you are still keeping your marks up this whole time, normal school is hard enough as it was if it is still as I remember it. Though, I understand you have many more subjects in your magical school so you must be doing well as to be keeping your marks as high as they are.**_

_**I do remember the promise we made each other that morning when you left for school. But I am sad to say I was not able to keep it. Your father and I have recently just confirmed our divorce.**_

"WHAT!" Lily screamed out loud. Her friends began looking at her strangely and peered at the letter curiously as to see what caused Lily's outraged outburst, but Lily forced herself on.

**_The man you once called 'father' was having an affair with Miss Lusianna from down the street. I hope you see it the way I do and see that I have made the right choice. When you arrive home I shall pick you up and take you to our new home, as I could not stand living near that back stabbing bitch down the road._**

**_Do not complain this is the best for all of us, and as you said that you would refuse to go home if we're not together, I'm sure that the Crew family would take the best care for you, but you WILL be coming back to live with your sister and I. _**

**_Love your Mother_**

Lily held the letter in her gripped hands silently. She felt a stray tear run down her cheek and she allowed it to fall openly onto the paper. She blinked furiously in an attempt to clear the rest of them. She was vaguely aware of her friend' s sympathetic voices calling her name, but they seemed so far away at that moment.

Feeling more that seeing her knuckles turn white, she ripped the letter in half, letting the tears fall freely down her reddened cheeks like a small water fall. Throwing the letter to the side she pushed herself out of her seat and sprinted out of the hall ignoring the many stares she had collected from all houses.

"Evans?" James said standing up and holding out his hand only to have it pushed away as Lily continued to run through the doors into the corridor.

"Lily wait!" called Mel as she and April ran past the boys too carrying the mail and books they had all received.

Remus and James looked at each other before sighting Kay wandering a fair way behind only walking who seemed to be crying, another strange sight for the morning events.

"Crew," James called as she passed, "What's up with Evans?"

Kay wiped her eyes on her long sleeve before sniffing and began explaining, "Lils just found out that her parents got a divorce and that her father is a cheating bastard and that she'll never be allowed to see him again," a new set of tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"That's horrible!" Sirius exclaimed a look of sorrow on his face, "She's too nicer a girl to have to live through something so horrible as this," he banged an angry fist down on the table as he stood and wrapped his arms around a still crying Kay.

"It's just not fair on her, she's had such a horrible year with all the pranks and her parents fighting," Kay shoved Sirius off her and glared at all three boys, "You should all feel ashamed of yourselves."

James flinched at her harsh tone, he was aware of where this was going, and he was feeling rather horrible about the way he had been treating Lily lately, and this just made his day even more rotten.

"Especially you," Kay jabbed James in the chest with a manicured nail, "You're the one that has hurt her the most out of all of you rotten scum bags."

Kay was about to leave when she noticed Remus and began a new set of tears, "I'm so, so sorry, I dunno why I did it, it was spur of the moment please-" when she realised Remus was doing all he could to ignore her she wiped her eyes again and replaced her sincere look with a sour one. With that Kay left with a stylish flip of the hair and an attention demanding slam of the doors which was unusual because usually no one closed them as people were still entering for breakfast.

James was about to ask Remus what she had been talking about when Sirius wailed.

"What have we done?" Sirius wailed as he flopped on the floor, "We are horrible, horrible, horrible-"

"We get it Padfoot," Remus interrupted seeing the downhearted look on James' face.

"I wasn't finished!" Sirius hollered, "We are horrible, HORRIBLE people."

Remus shook his head repeatedly all the while keeping his eyes on Sirius.

"What?" Sirius shrugged before seeing James' look for himself.

"He's right, we are horrible. All this time Evans has been in so much pain and we've just driven her closer to the edge," James put his head in his hands.

Remus and Sirius fell silent as they were at a loss for words in how to comfort their friend, because after all, what he was saying was the exact truth.

"No one annoy me today! I am in a VERY bad mood," Peter announced sitting at the table and spooning boiled eggs onto his plate, unaware of the drama he had just missed within those few minutes he had slept in.

"What's wrong with him today?" Peter sighed still the same annoyed tone in his voice as he saw James with his head in his folded arms.

"Oh we just found out that we've been ripping Evans' life into little shreds ever since the start of the year. Maybe even before that, we have been a nuisance to that particular group of girls since for ever," Sirius explained to Peter.

"SHHHHH!" Remus shushed loudly shoving Sirius in an annoyed fashion.

"Well that's not that bad," Peter reasoned, "At least he didn't just wake up and feel horrid for no reason at all."

This comment seemed to brighten James a bit as a clear snort was heard from under the folded arms. He lifted his head and shared a knowing smile with Remus and Sirius.

* * *

Mel and Kay had let April come into the Gryffindor common room to comfort Lily in the girls' dormitory. That's where any of them usually went when in a desperate need of security and feeling down right crappy.

"Lils," Kay asked using Lily's shortened name to comfort her. As the best friend it was her job to provide the most comfort any of them could offer.

Though in this time of need her usual mind had been replaced with the moody reactions of the potion and it was taking all her will power not to make a smart remark that would no doubt make Lily feel worse.

"Lily," Mel ran past Kay and was by Lily's shaking figure in a flash, "I know exactly what you're going through, the whole divorce and everything. It only hurts for a little while, you just have to find the better things in life to make the pain go away."

"I don't HAVE any happier things in life!" Lily wailed through her pillow, "My family is everything."

"You have us," April offered putting a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder.

"And you still have your mum and you're sister," Mel added.

"Oh fuck them!" Lily yelled.

All three other girls jumped, Lily never used that sort of figure of speech, it was more Kay's category in language.

"My sister hates me; she thinks I'm a freak. Being a witch isn't normal to her, it shouldn't be!" Lily sat up the tears continuing to fall but her sorrowed look was replaced with anger, "And my mother, if she knew what was good for me she would have just fixed things with dad not taken the easy way out."

"Do you ever think of anyone besides yourself?" Kay yelled matching Lily's pitch, which stopped everything in the room and all eyes cam upon her, "What about what's best for your MUM! She's the one that has to put up with him most of the time. What about all the pain he put HER through?"

Kay's words were making Lily rage inside but a small portion of her heart knew that what she was yelling was true.

"Kay?" April said harshly a deep frown on her face, implying to her friend that maybe a little more sympathy would work.

"And also you have plenty of things to be happy about," Kay added in a softer tone catching onto April's implied suggestion.

"Oh yeah?" Lily snapped, "Like what?"

"Like us," Mel said again.

"And Christmas," April said smiling reassuringly hopping Lily would catch on.

This brought new tears to Lily's eyes, "And I'm going as a loner, there's no way I can't get a date in only one week."

"You're not going as a loner," Kay said immediately, "Coz you're coming with me."

Lily laughed, "Sorry Kay but don't rout for the same team."

"I don't mean like that!" Kay put an arm around Lily's shoulder, "We can go as loners together."

"Thanks Kay," Lily embraced Kay in a tight hug but was soon shoved off when Kay's grouchy mood cam back into play.

"I thought you said you didn't go for other chicks, geebers make up your mind."

Lily laughed as Kay stomped into the bathroom, "I think I need a rest. You two go outside its really sunny and you have some dates to catch up with."

"Thanks Lils," Mel and April hugged the red eyed Lily again and left the room quietly.

"This is the worst year ever, I don't know how I'm going to live to the next," Lily said out loud as she rolled back over to her pillow and buried her face in it to let out the rest of her tears.

_If only Grandma was still here. She would know what to do, she would know exactly the right things to say as well._ Lily stroked the cold golden wrist watch subconsciously as she thought about her grandma and how much she wished she could still be there to help._ What would Grandma do? She would cry to Grandpa that's what? I don't have a Nathan let alone an anybody to cry to though._

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you again to all those who have read and a VERY special thank you to all those who review and continue reviewing. One thing I've noticed is that only half of you who put my story on your alerts or favourites don't actually review. Please if you think my story is good enough to put on those lists show it by reviewing. And a great thanks to Moonlight Honeysuckle my editor who also writes portions of my chapters occasionally.**_


	12. HELP! WE'RE LOST IN THE SHOPS

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: This never was a incredibly important chapter even though there are a few things that go with the story but they would live with out them. If you have any question about relationships between characters feel free to ask :)**_

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Chapter 12:

Six days went by Sirius, Kay and Peter's moods seemed to lighten off after the forty-eight hours and after a full recovery they seemed brighter than normal, which Lily was glad of because she knew she would need Kay's sunny reassurances too keep her happy.

Remus on the other hand still seemed to be in a sour mood, or at least he was whenever the girls were around him. Lily felt sorry for him, she didn't know why but he had the look of a puppy that had been hurt badly and was just trying to defend himself.

In two nights was going to be the Christmas ball that was promised to all students, and it seemed to be the only thing everyone was talking about. Even Professor McGonagall was talking to the rest of the staff about the robes she would be wearing.

Everyone except Lily was talking about it. She had spent the whole week silent, she hadn't felt ready to speak up as of yet since the letter came. That dreadful letter that had ruined her holiday spirit and the thrill and excitement of the up coming ball to which she would be attending with Kay.

She sat alone at the Gryffindor house table for lunch as she waited for Kay to come back from seeing some of her other friends off who were leaving for home at that moment.

April was sleeping in as she always did on the weekends and Mel… Lily didn't know where Mel was; must have been off with Peter AGAIN.

Lily munched a TLC sandwich as she thought about how much she was starting to dislike Peter Pettigrew, when Mel came dancing in with an invisible partner.

Lily watched in amusement as did some other stray students who were down to lunch early and where staying the holidays. Mel was humming loudly to a gentle song as she waltzed to Lily.

"Like it? Peter and I have been practicing," Mel smiled proudly then jumped and reddened as she noticed the eyes she had attracted.

"It looks great. It's just a matter of how well you do when you have to dance with him in front of the remaining of the school, which since the ball was announced is more than half," Lily stated.

Mel gulped but sat strait in a way that made her look brave and determined, "Tomorrow night is our night, nothing could ruin it."

Lily nodded proudly of Mel's attitude towards the evening to come, "I just wish that I had someone to share the night with too," she sighed.

"But you do, Kay," Mel joked poorly.

"You know what I mean, like a boy. Like Nate."

"That Ravenclaw guy is a dick, he doesn't deserve you."

"But he acted like he wanted to go with me, he even said something implying the thought of going with me when we met. But then Potter scared him away, bloody prick."

"But didn't you say he couldn't go with you because he had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, but," Lily paused in thought, "That was only just after he said he had broken up with his last one a few days ago. He said he was single!"

"Well either he moves on very fast or he lied to you."

"What are we talking about?" April yawned as she sat at the Gryffindor table still looking sleepy even though the time was then past noon.

"Nate," Lily explained as she looked at how shiny April's dark hair was in the morning. Why couldn't her hair be like that instead of frizzing up like it did?

April sighed heavily, "Must we?"

"No we're now done on the topic," Mel said giving Lily a meaningful look.

"Ok," Lily sighed, "Have any of you seen Kay? I thought she said she would only be seeing Jackie off and the train left fifteen minutes ago."

"She probably found a cosy closest to share with Sirius," April giggled buttering her toast.

"I heard that! And no I am not in a closet, not with Sirius at least," Kay said striding in and stuffing April's buttered toast in her mouth.

"Who was it?" Lily said eagerly leaning towards Kay.

"No one, I was just pointing out that I could be in a closet with someone a lot better than Sirius."

"Then what took you so long? The train left fifteen minutes ago," Mel said looking at Lily's gold watch.

"I got sidetracked, the Marauder's are throwing Snape a farewell party. But while watching I though WWLD, What Would Lily Do, and it wasn't watch. So I left."

Lily stood up suddenly, "Those boys, I'm tired of them doing this. I'm not going to sit on the sidelines any longer."

"Lily," April reasoned, "It's only Snape, he's just another Slytherin slime ball."

"And that gives them the right to shove him around like he's lower than they are?" Lily watched to see which of her friends would stand up for the Marauders but it seemed the debate was closed. She stomped out of the hall towards the corridor Kay had pointed her in the direction of.

"Come on we better keep an eye on her," Mel said standing.

Kay nodded and grabbed April by the wrist, dragging her away from the breakfast, "Aww I wasn't finished!"

"James Potter!" Lily raged as she turned the corner and rounded on James who had his wand at the ready with Serverus Snape at the receiving end.

"Yes my dearest flower?" James said in a sickly sweet voice.

"What in the name of Merlin do you think you are doing?" Lily stood in front of James so that if he were to fire he would be shooting her instead of Snape.

"Move it Evans I don't need a girl to fight my fights," Snape snarled from behind Lily.

"By the way Snivellus the train left fifteen minutes ago," Remus smirked from his position on James' right.

Snape snarled loathingly at the four boys blocking his path and snatched out his wand, "Move you fat arse Evans before I blow it off instead of theirs."

Lily turned to face Snape a very offended look on her face, "Is this how you treat the people who stand up for you?"

"Like I said I don't need a girl to fight my fights, let alone a bloody mudblood one at that."

The small crowd gasped as the name left Snape's evilly curled lips.

The colour drained from Lily's face and she felt her heart sink.

James was between her and Snape in a blink of an eye, wand point against his greasy enemies throat, " Apologize you greasy toad!"

Snape smirked maliciously, "So it's true that James Potter has a soft spot for the mudblood. I never thought as a pureblood yourself you would sink so low."

There was a flash of red light and Snape was sent flying across the corridor to smash into the nearest suit of armour.

"Enough!" McGonagall's strict voice rang in through every gap and corner in the corridor as she strode towards the conflict. Snatching James' wand from his hands she gave the Marauders strict looks.

"You boys are causing enough trouble as it is during school, let everyone here have a happy holiday for once! Mr Snape, stand up we shall inform your parents about your _delay_ and shall flew you to your house."

"Professor you didn't hear what he called Evans!" James objected standing in front of his teacher matching her full hight.

"I don't care Mr Potter, you shall serve detention this afternoon with me and if anymore slip-ups are caught you shall not be attending tomorrow nights ball. That goes for all four of you not just you James." The Professor left the corridor with Snape leaving a certain air in the presence.

"Evans, are you ok?" Remus asked as Lily was still standing staring at the same spot she had before McGonagall had arrived.

Her head snapped up as noticed what a close proximity he was to her. His eyes were kind as he looked down at her and she had to think, how could someone like this be friends with them.

"Come on Lils," Mel said taking Lily by the arm.

"You're welcome," James mumbled watching Lily leave.

Lily spun on her heel and walked straight up to James, thinking she was going to slap him he backed off a bit before he found Lily take him by the arm and hug him.

There was silence through the corridor add a few whispers as the sight that everyone thought they would never see the day of.

Lily looked up at James her emerald eyes glazed with tears, though none spilled, "Thanks Potter."

"You're welcome," James stumbled too shocked by what was happening to say anything.

"Don't think this changes anything though," Lily said softly as she released him and began walking after her friends.

James stared after her, he stared even when she had disappeared around the corner and out of sight. And he continued doing so until almost the whole crowd had left with an interesting story to tell their friends who had missed the event.

Sirius broke the silence, "Woop! Prongs is going to have happy dreams tonight."

James turned an unbelievably big grin across his face, one that looked like it was never going to come off.

"Think all that time you spent trying to get her attention when all you needed was to pay someone to call her a mudblood then stick up for her," Remus laughed.

James was too happy to say anything he just stood on the spot grinning like an idiot.

"So who says we go to Hogsmeade to celebrate?" Peter suggested.

"And by some dress robes too," Remus added.

"Yeah been meaning to get around to that," Sirius grimaced at the thought of shopping for clothes.

The whole walk down the driveway to Hogsmeade James completely tuned out, replaying that scene where Lily Evans willingly hugged him. She had willingly hugged him!

"How long do you think he'll be like this?" Peter asked waving a hand in front of James' face.

"I'd say at least the rest of the day, maybe longer," Sirius said smartly.

Peter groaned loudly and looked up at the sky, Remus turned to him, "Don't be so happy for him Wormtail, the love of his life only hugged him you know nothing THAT big."

"That's right she did, she hugged me. Willingly!" James exclaimed saying a word for the first time in twenty minutes. He was quick to clear his throat and do his best to wipe his smile off his face when his friends smirked at him, "Of course, this means she's falling for my charm. She'll be mine by the end of the year. Then I will have the whole grade at my feet. If I can get Evans I can get anyone."

"When was the last time this happened?" Remus asked trying to recall the last time they had seen James this 'secretly', ecstatically happy.

"When they won the Quidditch cup last year?" Peter asked also trying hard to recall the moment.

"No, he was drunk then, it doesn't count," Sirius said thoughtfully putting a finger on his chin.

"This is b-wierder than the time that she used me to make that guy in Hufflepuff jealous and held my hand! Because this time she hugged me because she wanted to!" James said trying to look convincing that it had affected him in no way at all, but failing miserably.

"Ahhhh," the other three boys concluded, "That's when."

The boys put off the clothes shopping as long as possible. Stopping at any shop that caught the slightest inch of one of their interests.

James and Sirius dragged Peter into the Quidditch store and in return they let him drag them over to Madam Pricilla's cheese assortment stand.

Remus entered the bookstore alone and came out fifteen minutes later with a book for all of them proving that book stores could provide more than knowledge. Though, James, Peter and Sirius remained unsatisfied.

"Well lads we can't put it off any longer," Sirius said solemnly putting his hands on Peter and Remus' shoulder's who were either side of him, "We must face the terror of this so called 'clothes' shopping."

"Marty dragged me around this place for half an hour once, then I broke up with her," James said cringing at the sign that swung silently in the cool breeze.

"I heard that they have a fifteen percent off sale today," added Peter matter-of-factly.

"And they got full length mirrors in the dressing rooms last Wednesday," Remus added on a last note.

"Oohh really?" asked Sirius in awe.

Remus nodded silently ducking out from Sirius arm at the alarmingly happy look on his face.

"Well then what are we waiting for let's go try on some of those dress robes!"

"He only wants to look at himself in the mirror," James assured Remus.

"That's a relief, I thought we had finally lost him to the other side."

On entering the shop the boys were almost bowled over by two short seamstresses who immediately whipped out their tape measures, one rapping hers around James' waist the other measuring his hight then his arm length.

"What's happening? Padfoot, Mooney, I'm scared," James said in a confused voice.

"Yes and I think he would look best in plain, traditional black and white, as would all of us," Sirius mentioned to one of the seamstresses who ran out to the back room returning with a set of black and white dress robes.

"Try these on for size sir; I'm sure you will find our measurements most fitting."

"Yes and I am the same size as he, my colleague Remus is a size lower and you might need to measure Peter, I think he may have shrunk from the last time I checked his hight," Sirius ordered the girls who nodded, happy to do his bidding.

James re-entered the room from trying on his dress robes and turned around in front of the other three Marauders, "So?" he asked.

"Perfect," Sirius said immediately clapping his hands together then taking another suit, "You next Mooney."

Remus reluctantly took the suit and put it on, while James proceeded to take his off to pay for at the counter.

When Remus appeared he seemed pretty pleased with himself, but when his eyes fell on Sirius' pleased face his smile turned into a quizzical frown, "How is it you know our exact sizes?"

"I run out of robes every once and while," Sirius shrugged, "when Prongs runs out I resort to yours and I noticed that they're only a size smaller than ours, but Peter's won't even fit."

"Fair enough."

Peter tried his on next after being measured. He turned out two sizes smaller in height but a size larger around the middle.

"Stand back gents," Sirius announced pushing his friends who had their outfits payed for and placed neatly in bags, "It is now the great Sirius' turn to try on his magnificent robes."

"You might want to take a seat, he'll be a while," James advised gesturing to the red leather seats outside the changing rooms.

"Why would he take long to try on a pair of robes?" Peter asked but still taking the offered seat.

"There are mirrors in there," Remus answered simply.

Fifteen minutes later James and Remus were still sitting on the chairs in front of the changing rooms. Peter had gone to look at the men's shoe section for a head start on the shoe trying. He always found it difficult to find the perfect shoe size.

"Bloody hell," James said standing up and striding over to the dressing room concealed behind the forest green curtain, "Padfoot if you're not out in three second I'm coming in."

James paused for a second and when no reply came he commenced counting, "Three… two… one… I'm coming in."

Ripping open the curtain with Remus right behind him, James grabbed Sirius by the collar and dragged him out.

"But I'm not finished!" Sirius wailed, "I was having a very interesting conversation."

"With who? Your reflection and how perfectly carved your body is?" Remus asked in annoyance.

Sirius looked a little ashamed, "Maybe."

"Take it off," James ordered.

"James," Sirius mumbled, "We're in the middle of the store."

"Has it ever fazed you before?"

"Well nah, but-"

"Then strip!" James boiled really starting to get annoyed.

"Ok, don't have to tell me twice."

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' immaturity as he went back to the seats to sit by the rest of their buys from the day.

Once Sirius had removed the dress robes, he handed them to a stunned looking seamstress who seemed very faint at the sight of the teenage boy half naked in the middle of her robe shop.

"I shall buy those robes good lady, but you must forgive me I seem to have left my wallet in my other boxer shorts," Sirius joked.

James growled growing very impatient. Twenty minutes had been plenty of time already to be in this shop and they still had to buy shoes. He thrust Sirius' clothes into his arms along with his wallet.

"Well look who lost their happy place," Sirius commented tracing his eyes over his friend's face.

"There never was a happy place," James said quickly, "And if there was I wouldn't have lost it if I hadn't been sitting in a CLOTHES shop for twenty minutes."

"Ok, ok, take a chill pill."

"May I remind you," Remus interrupted, "That we still have to buy shoes and Wormtail is alone in that department."

"No you may not Mr Mooney," James accused, "I will go barefoot to that ball if I have to."

"We have to go rescue Wormtail from the hungry mutant shoe box anyway," Sirius said fully dressed now with his robes in their own bag.

"What is it with you and giant mutant things that eat our friends?" Remus asked inquisitively.

"When did I saw it was giant? It wouldn't have to be to fit Wormtail inside."

"Padfoot that's cruel, but its Wormtail, so I agree."

Stopping every now and then to look and things like dancing bowties and glowing hair gel the boys finally made their way to the other end of the shop, which they discovered was a lot larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

"Big thing's do come in small packages," James commented as they found Peter sitting on a chair trying on what seemed to be his twenty-eighth pair of shoes judging by the pile of boxes by his side.

"Yes!" Peter exclaimed as he tightened the laces on the pair of shoes he was trying on, "They fit!"

"Congrats Cinderella, now all we have to do is find Prince Charming and you can go to the ball," Sirius said in mock excitement.

Peter ignored Sirius' uncalled for comment and removed the shoes from his small feet to be placed back in the box to which he hung to like a life line in fear he might loose them and have to start his shoe search again.

After five minutes of searching for their shoe sizes James announced that he was leaving and would be going to the ball barefoot.

"You can't go barefoot," Sirius explained, "What happens when your date stands on your foot in those heels?"

"What date?" James asked.

"The one that you always have to these things."

"I thought I said I wasn't taking a date? I don't want one."

"But Pronsie…" Sirius started, "This is another Evans thing isn't it? If you did the whole plan in front of your date and she found out about your fondness of Miss Evans it wouldn't go so well huh?"

"It has nothing to do with Evans! But in a way yes, having date would just get in the way," James said roughly but quietly, "Keeping in mind that the plan is only to get her to date me so I will have dated the entire year."

"Sure," Remus said rolling his eyes doubtfully.

"Besides you could come barefoot with me. You don't have a date either am I right Padfoot?"

"Did I forget to mention that I succeeded to get that date with Candy?" Sirius said casually.

"Umm yeah you seem to have."

"Well I am, hey I can see my shoe size about six shelves up someone give me a boost."

Sirius helped himself to James' shoulders as he tried to reach a box when Remus brought up a subject he thought he had shoved to the back of their minds, "Does Kay know?"

Sirius stumbled from James' shoulders resulting in a pile on the ground on top of an unfortunate Peter.

"No, why would she?"

Behind Sirius James was making many signals to Remus, which meant stop with the opening and closing of the mouth and SHUT THE HELL UP! But Remus remained to seem oblivious as he looked around the store pretending to be disinterested.

"I just assumed you would be going with her after last weeks-"

"Well for once you assumed wrong my furry little friend," Remus glared at Sirius at the mention of his furry little problem, "That was a week ago. Today is today. Besides why do you want to know? I heard that she has this boyfriend. She's probably going with him, even though from what I've heard he's super pissed at her with the whole me and her thing. No one knows who he is though."

Remus just grunted and they dropped the subject after that, Sirius stood back on James' shoulders reaching for the almost, but not quite, forgotten shoebox.

It only took half of the twenty minutes it took Peter to find his right shoes for the other three Marauders' to find theirs. And after that was done James smiled triumphantly.

"Now we can get out of this horrid shop and back to the castle. Where Evans is," he added quietly to himself, "I wonder what she's doing right now?"

* * *

**_At the Castle_**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

"Lily! Lily, what's wrong?"

"I hugged freaking JAMES POTTER!"

"Someone get some disinfectant, a phycologist and a box of Honeydukes Heart Ache chocolate STAT!"

"You have only just realised this? It happened over and hour ago. I understand the disinfectant and the phycologist, but Kay? Why do we need the Heart Ache chocolate?"

"Oh that's for me."

"I need a shower! It's burning my skin! This is worse than the time I held his hand to get that guy in Hufflepuff's attention!"

* * *

**_Back to the Marauders_**

"Umm I hate to interrupt your happy thoughts Prongsie," Sirius said waving a hand in front of James' face, "But who remembers what way we came into the shoe section?"

James didn't even deny the implied Lily fancying as there was silence as the boys looked around at the many paths in between the shelves and stands, but it didn't last for long.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

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_**A/N: Sorry to those who love my Lily side of the story but I felt I was writing too much about her and not enough about the boys, this in't an incredibly important chapter but it just gave the Marauders a bit of a time to shine. There is just something I find amusing how that whenever I go shopping with boys they never know where to go and end up getting lost  Thank you to my faithful reviewers KJ COLLECTIONS, Midnight Filly, Mad Over Mooney, SparklingEyesWithCrazyMind, maruyama maja and bubblicious242. And also to my awesomely awesome editor Moonlight Honeysuckle.**_


	13. Decisions Decisions

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: I know this chapter is very very short but I'm leaving it that way because it ends on a cliff hanger and I'm never able to do that so I'm scared to change it! Enjoy the new version :)  
**_

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Chapter 13:

James clung to Remus' arm, Sirius on the other, "I don't want to die in a shoe store!" hollered his dark haired companion, "There aren't any mirrors!"

Remus shook off his over exaggerating friends and looked around them. It was hard to tell which way they had come in from with the shelves being over 3 metres high and to many of them to count.

"I'm pretty sure we came from that way," Remus said confidently pointing towards a gap to their left.

Rounding the corner they came to another wall, "Or not."

"How about we try the old fashioned dependent way?" James suggested.

"Good idea! What would that be?" Peter asked still clutching his shoes and juggling his other purchases.

"Follow our lead," James started and held up his hand fingers outstretched to show the five fingers. One by one he put them down silently, on the last one he, Sirius and Remus taking a deep breath.

"HELP! HELP! For the good of all things magical, HELP!" Screamed the Marauders, the later sentence contributed by Sirius.

"How is that going to help? With the size of this place no one will ever hear us," Peter complained, loosing his temper from dropping his boxes which resulted in a crumble of the whole tower.

James tapped his nose slyly, "Wait and see my impatient friend."

Three minutes went by and still nothing had happened.

"Do you think we should try again?" Sirius asked all the while staring at the green carpet he was using his finger to draw on.

"No, no. If my recent observations are correct, which they always are," James assured, "help should arrive in three, two-"

James was cut off, as there was a pop and a stern faced witch with greying blonde hair cut short and wearing lime green wedges dressed in robes that looked like they had been made out of a home made quilt appeared behind him, "What is the meaning of all this racket? You are disturbing customers."

"What customers?" Peter mumbled to Sirius who chuckled which earned them a harsh glare.

"We would gladly leave you shop at once Madam if it weren't for one small dilemma," Remus said politely.

The elderly witch rolled her eyes and asked bluntly, "You're lost aren't you?"

The three boys nodded not the least bit ashamed and waited eagerly for the witches directions out.

"Am I right to assume that you are underage and are unable to apparate as of yet?" she asked tapping her foot loosing patience.

"Underage possibly," Sirius stated standing up now and trying to sound humble, "But unable is another category in that ability."

The witch didn't seem to notice, "You know what the front desk looks like, aim for there. Gentlemen," there was another small pop and she disapparated.

"Well, not as friendly as the one we met in Paris, but she made a point," Sirius stated.

Remus stared at Sirius in disbelief.

"Oh Mooney don't feel so dejected that you weren't the one that remembered we can apparate, you're still our smarty-pants," James assured his gob smacked friend.

"No not that," Remus said frowning and putting on a pouting look, "You guys went to Paris and you didn't take me."

There was a small pop and Remus disapparated in a huff.

"Oh Mooney!" James said dragging the nickname out before disapparating himself.

Sirius shoved his hands in his pockets casually before disapparating a second after James.

Peter jumped and squeaked quietly. In the rush of the moment he had forgotten to remind his friends that he had been the only one of them that had failed their apparating exam. That happened often.

"Help?" Peter said quietly looking about him slightly afraid that the quilted witch would come back.

There was another quiet pop and Peter landed in the snow beside his confused looking mates and a disgruntled witch dressed in a quilt.

"Sorry about that Wormtail, we sometimes forget that tiny detail," James apologised helping him up from the snow.

"Do you know what the scariest part of today was?" Sirius asked as they began walking back towards the driveway to Hogwarts.

"Getting lost in the shoe shop?" asked Peter.

"Getting a taste of the queer side?" James asked jokingly.

"Giant Mutant Peter eating shoe boxes?" Remus guessed receiving an alarmed look from Peter.

"For the last time they were not giant! And no, none of the above," Sirius concluded.

"What then?"

"That store owners dress taste."

* * *

"Oh Em Gee," Kay squealed, "I cannot believe that the ball is only two nights away!"

"I'm excited two but please promise me one thing," Mel said fiddling with the bow that was holding her frizzy brown hair in a pony tail, "Don't spell out your words ever, ever again."

"I don't think I'm going to go anymore," Lily said sighing and flopping back first onto her bed.

She was forced to take a heavy breath in as she was winded by Kay who was now lying on top of her. Kay had Lily by her tie and was refusing to move her body weight from the centre of Lily's abdomen.

"You HAVE TO come" Kay screamed at Lily, "Do I have to emphasise HAVE TO any louder!"

"What's the point if I'm not going to have anyone to dance with?"

Kay opened her mouth offended, "I can tell when I'm not wanted," she removed herself off Lily's bed and flipped her hair as she walked to the door, "FYI, I have been told I am a VERY good dancer and kisser," Kay finished walking out the door.

"What did I say about you spelling out your words!" Mel yelled after her.

Lily sighed again as she rubbed her stomach and sat up to face Mel, "A year ago all the boys in the castle would be asking me to the dance but this year not one has opened his mouth."

"That's because James blackmailed them into it," Mel flipped her ponytail proudly and posed in front of the mirror.

"Bloody, infuriating Potter."

"If you're so desperate for a date Lils why don't you just go ask him. You know he would say yes in a heart beat."

"That's exactly why I'm going to do exactly that in the opposite way. Meaning no, I won't," Lily added for Mel, "He thinks he can have any girl in this whole flipping castle just by smiling and charming them. So I'm proving him wrong."

"And that's the only reason you won't go out with him?"

"Yes!"

"Not because you think he is ugly and selfish and arrogant."

"Ugly? God no. But arrogant, selfish, naïve, ignorant, immature," Lily's words slowed and she seemed to start talking more in a daze, "smart, gallant, tall, strong, sexy, hot-"

Lily stopped with a start when she realized her roommate was on the floor in hysterics clasping at the wall for a support and gasping for air.

Lily flushed and straightened her uniform, "What are you laughing about. Never heard of sarcasm?"

"Lily I'm afraid that wasn't sarcasm," Mel said whipping tears from her eyes, "You're in love."

"What!? How dare you say that I, Lily Evans is in love with, with ... THAT!"

"Would you prefer: smitten, hooked, infatuated, head-over-heels, obsessed, or my personal favourite: passionately fanatical."

"And my personal favourite: mememmrehrmeh," Lily mimicked in a high voice with hands on hips.

Mel shrugged it off and went back to the mirror, "Just stating the obvious."

"Obvious my arse!" Lily stood and stalked out of their dorm just in time to view the arrival of the Marauders back at the castle.

"Hey Evans!" James called out, raising a hand in greeting.

"Don't talk to me you prick."

James watched dolefully as Lily passed without even making eye contact, her red hair bouncing on her back as she jumped out the portrait hole.

"Moods change quickly mate," Sirius said placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Maybe its just that time of the month."

"I dunno what that means but she seems really upset," James said without taking his eyes off the closing portrait, "She better not do anything to hurt herself."

"Wow," Remus let out a breath.

"What?" James asked in confusion finally taking his eyes off where Lily had exited.

"I think that is the first time I have ever heard you express your consideration for Evans without trying to cover it up."

James' brow furrowed, "Because I am worried. Her parents just broke up, she doesn't have a date for the dance, and she's just been acting stranger than usual lately."

"It might do something for her to know that you do really care and you're not just asking her out like she's just some collectable."

James' expression changed completely, "But that is_ exactly_ why I'm asking her out, I just don't want her to hurt herself is all."

* * *

Lily stomped down the hall until she reached the ladder that would climb the way to the top of the highest point of the whole of Hogwarts, the Astronomy Tower.

Lily grabbed each rung with a white knuckled hand one after the other until there was nowhere else to climb.

She looked at the grounds. All she could see was the Forbidden Forest and how far out it stretched until it seemed to be swallowed by the first signs of twilight. While looking she thought about her life, and how much it was screwed up.

Her friends didn't get along, her parents were divorced, her dad was a drunk, the last person she would want on earth to like her seemed to have her tracked and she was 'passionately infatuated' with the same prick or so said Mel. When in all honesty she was smitten over a boy who when he showed her the slightest sign of recognition sent her pulse racing over the legal speed limit, and had been for six years. At the same time she knew he would never like her in that way, the knowledge made her feel all the more remorseful.

She couldn't imagine her life getting any worse. She sat on the edge of the tower, trying to ignore the dizzying heights, and continued to think until she saw the sun starting to disappear and the first sign of stars pricking the sky.

The sky turning a violent shade of pink and red hues must have turned on the light in the attic because she had an idea. It wouldn't make everything better, for all she knew it might just get worse. But in the long shot it would make her forget most of everything.

All she had to do was convince herself to do it.

* * *

_**A/N: Very short I know. But I just wanted to update ASAP just to let you know that yes I am still living and breathing and yes I am still writing. Thank you to all my readers, reviewers and editor in chief Moonlight Honeysuckle (MH: Aha, oyea!). I am already writing more to the chapter so it will be along side this one shortly.**_


	14. Falling

_**Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up.**_

_**A/N: It has been over a month since I updated! I'm so sorry! This chapter is basically the same as it was before so I don't know why it took me so long.**_

* * *

Chapter 14:

"Lily don't do it! We love you!" cried a masculine voice from behind Lily.

She barley had time to turn around and mutter a "huh?" when two sets of hands grabbed either of her upper arms and pulled her right back away from the edge of the tower.

"I know it might seem like your life is spinning out of control at the moment Evans but there are much better things than suicide," Sirius rationally told Lily who gave him a very confused look.

James stepped forward and cupped Lily's face in his large hands, "If it will make a difference I will stay away from you for the rest of my life."

"You bet you will," Lily spat, "I've finally made my decision and nothing that YOU do will stop me from seeing it out."

Lily ripped herself from Sirius strong Beater Bat grip and shoved James hands out of her face.

Mel, Kay, Remus and now Peter and April had climbed the ladder to the tiptop and were watching sitting in various position. A different expression on each face.

Remus and Peter, concern for the depressed and suicidal Lily. Kay, Mel and April an amused sparkle in their eyes at the stupidity of their rivals. They so could have beaten them in that war.

"Pass the popcorn," whispered Kay.

"James Potter!" Lily said engulfed in rage that made her voice tremble, "You are the SOUL REASON of it coming to an end like this!"

James cringed but tried to get closer to Lily. A guilty and miserable look on his face hiding the scheming plan to grab her.

"She won't do it," Mel said confidently.

"What are you talking about?" Remus said in the highest voice the girls had ever heard him speak in, "Can't you hear the words coming out of her mouth?"

"Remus?" Kay said trying to hold a straight face but failing, "Is you're voice cracking?"

Remus glared at her which made her divert her eyes to the left where there was an empty space.

"Kay!" Lilly roared, "I am in the middle of an emotional break down and all you can think about is Remus?"

Remus looked smugly at Kay, "Oh I dunno I am pretty irresistible, it's not her fault she has to be like most girls and drown and the golden light I give off."

At this April made a sound that was half way between a muffled laugh and a snort. For this she received a stern look from Remus who was stood a little to her left.

"Lily there are people you can see for help in these sort of things," Sirius reasoned also moving towards Lily.

"No!" Lily yelled at him though her eyes pinned on James.

While Lily seemed distracted by her James focused anger Sirius made a run for the ladder. Though getting severe burns on his hands from sliding down the ladder, he ran down the halls towards the stone gargoyle yelling at the top of his lungs, "Professor, professor!"

"I really didn't want to do this Potter. Especially after what happened this morning," James got butterflies in his stomach at Lily's mention of that mornings hug.

Lily had stopped and was looking at her fingers, which she was aimlessly playing with, "I thought maybe it was possible that things could change and maybe we could get along."

"It is possible Lily," James tried to convince the destructive red head taking another step towards her.

Lily flared up again and James could have sworn he saw real fires in those emerald stones.

"No it can't be alright. Because no matter what I do we both stuff it up one way or another, we just weren't meant to be friends," Lily didn't realise that as she was lecturing the marauder she was taking large steps backwards.

"That's why I've decided to do what I'm going to do-" Lily was cut off by her own and Kay and Mel's scream as she felt her foot slip over hard rock bricks into nothing but thin air.

James, Mel and Kay had all lunged forwards to try and grab various parts of Lily that were flailing around to try and keep gravitational balance in order. But that didn't see good enough for gravity. And Lily fell.

* * *

The last thing she could remember focusing on was her fingers slipping through James' open hand. Now all there was, was the wind streaming through her hair and forcing her eyes to close.

Even with the knowledge that she wouldn't be hitting the ground and getting up again, she was surprisingly calm. She had thoughts going through her head, and she wondered whether this is what happened to everyone as they were about to die. She knew that as soon as she felt the thump of the ground it would all be over, she could stop worrying about everything that had been happening.

The fall seemed to go on forever. Endless air and wind, endless darkness behind shuteyes, she would never see light again after this. She breathed her last breath. The air was cooler and fresher than she ever remembered it being.

It was just after that she felt the small thud. Her eyes tried to flutter open but an unknown source of fatigue washed over her and she was dragged into unconsciousness, but not before hearing her name called from far above her.

* * *

No scream came from Lily's mouth as she disappeared but Kay made up for that. She screamed Lily's name over and over, struggling in Remus' restraining arms afraid that if he let go she would jump off after Lily.

April couldn't do anything but stand open eyed, her hands keeping flies from flying into her open mouth.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Mel screeched like a banshee through tears at James, "She was right in front of you!"

Peter had to drag Mel off James who she had been clawing at trying to get to the significantly taller others face.

James stared at Mel with an expression that no one was sure of what it was. Half way between a glare at her accusations of Lily's fall being his fault and half way between a sorrowed frown of him knowing she was half right.

James looked over to April who was beginning to shake, Mel pushed out of Peter's arms and was by her side immediately. Peter joined them timidly and tried to comfort Mel furthermore by patting her on the shoulder.

Kay was in hysterics and would have fallen to pieces if it hadn't been for Remus' arms holding her together. Kay's arms were wrapped in a chokehold around his neck as cried into his shoulder. His arms around her waist, he seemed to be muttering words of comfort into her ear. Though, even as he did his eyes were locked onto James'.

James couldn't help but think it was all his fault. It was his fault Lily had had such a horrible experience at Hogwarts, his fault Lily never had a real boyfriend, his fault Lily had to mend her reputation with many people due to his given impressions of her, his fault she committed suicide, and he'd be dammed how but it was probably his fault her parents split up too.

"You know," a sudden voice came from over the side of the tower, "It's not like she's fat or anything, but she ways a tonne."

Sirius groaned as he dumped an unconscious Lily and broomstick on the stone floor and collapsed on his back.

Kay was first out of the stunned on lookers to squeal in joy. Leaping from Remus' arms and launching herself at Sirius body.

"I love you I love you I love you!" she almost cried into the puffed boy's shoulder.

"I love you too baby when's the wedding again?" Sirius joked trying to keep the mood light although he felt he was about to end up the same way Lily was.

Kay punched Sirius hard in the arm and gave him her professional glare.

Mel and April were beside Lily's unconscious form in the blink of an eye, soon with Kay by their side.

James was shaking his head at Sirius.

"What? I can't do one heroic thing in my lifetime?"

"No mate, not when you upstage me in front of the ladies like that," James said offering his friend a hand up.

Sirius mumbled something incoherent whilst waving James' hand away and lay down his eyes shut.

"Padfoot? Padfoot? Sirius?" James said slightly worried when his friend wouldn't wake up.

"Leave him Prongs, he deserves a good sleep," Remus said smiling down at the deeply sleeping Sirius.

"Is someone going to help us take this BEAST up to the hospital wing?" Kay growled trying to lift Lily's body but only managing to get it half way off the ground.

"Ouch harsh words Kay, you sound like you wont to hurt her," April said holding one of Lily's limp arms and wasn't making much difference to Kay's luggage.

"HURT is an understatement. When she wakes up she IS going to be dead! I will make sure of it."

Remus offered to take Lily off Kay's hands but ended up with helping place the unaware Lily onto her best friends back so that Kay could manage to Piggy back Lily.

James and Remus were on either side of the also out cold Sirius and lifted him so that the weight was between them. A sixteen-year-old boy was considerably heavier than a sixteen-year-old girl, which came of no surprise to anyone.

After the difficult job of getting the two down the ladder without their weight crushing them and sending them tumbling into a possible broken neck situation, they had to lug their unconscious friends all the way to the hospital wing.

"Goodness me!" cried Madam Pomfrey seeing the group of exhausted students walk in with their unconscious team mates, "Those two look as if they tried to fly off the astronomy tower."

"How ironic it is for you to say that," James said through gritted teeth under the weight of Sirius.

"I'm sorry Mr Potter did you say something? Open up that mouth and stop mumbling boy."

"We are quite tired and would it be possible to put them down now Miss is what I think he was trying to say," Remus said trying to sound as polite as he could.

"Oh yes of corse," Madam Pomfrey gestured to two neatly made beds and allowed the weighted students to gently place their friends on them.

Sirius made a murmur of consciousness when he touched the sheets and opened one eye, "Are we there yet?"

"Bastard! You weren't out," Remus growled, "You just didn't want to walk all the way across the school."

Sirius smiled cheekily and shrugged, "That's not _completely_ true. I was honestly out for half of it. But what can I say I'm in a lazy mood today."

"Now I can guess that this is no coincidence that all eight of you are here," Madam Pomfrey said mainly to the Marauders giving them one of those 'I-know-what-you-did-last-summer' looks. At least that's what they liked to call it.

"Well Madam, you could say that," James said in his business tone of voice (that he had learnt from his farther), "But then you would be misinterpreting the whole ordeal all together."

"Mr Potter have you ever given me any reason to believe one of your explanations yet?"

Before James could answer that simple question the nurse began to bustle around the beds with flaks of varying coloured potions and bandages.

"There was that tine you came in telling me the four of you had had a mishap with a giant spider, and the turkey goodness gracious. You might as well try out your newest excuse on me right now."

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you miss," Peter squeaked from behind Remus.

"No I won't but I'm curious to see what your screaming little minds have come up with this time to excuse yourselves."

"Well," James opened his mouth and began the story, starting from the very beginning about how he had ruined Lily's life to the bit about how they began the fight on the Astronomy Tower and Sirius burnt his hands from sliding down the metal ladder to get help and then saved Lily's life when she finally jumped and then pretended to be out cold because he was in a lazy mood,

"And so then we lugged them back here and I am telling you my 'creative' story."

"Ha, Lily Evans jumping off the Astronomy tower. No one would ever believe that one."

James sent a silent wink to the girls who were giving him cross between astonished and angry looks.

"I should leave your injured hands to heal the muggle way Black, after all the times you have whined while I tend to you."

The wing attendant grabbed a wincing Sirius' hands and splashed a translucent liquid onto the raw skin left on his palms. And by the way he clenched his teeth he was showing it must have burnt.

After wrapping both hands up tightly and quickly without noticing the pain on his face, Madam Pomfrey quickly moved on to Lily's still consciously absent body.

"You six may go now," the nurse waved her hand at the students that weren't laying in the hospital beds, "You Mr Black will stay and get some rest, you may seem to just have burns but I am betting there will be something overlooked."

Sirius waved a bandaged hand to his friends as the walked out the doors close at the heels of Kay, Mel and April who whispered like gossiping girls, which they couldn't deny they were.

"I just don't believe Lily would do such a thing," April said in a hushed voice, "I haven't known her for as long as you two may have, but I never would have guessed her to be one of those people."

"That's because she is not one of those people," Mel said firmly.

"The Lils we know would never jump off a building, especially not over a boy," Kay sent one of the dirtiest death glares James had ever remembered receiving before turning back to the silent conversation of which the Marauders heard no more of.

* * *

James remained relatively silent for the next three hours in the common room. _It's all my fault, my bloody fault._ He kept replaying Lily falling over and over again and him not grabbing her in time.

Word hadn't gotten around to the students yet that Lily Evans was at that moment lying in the hospital wing with a concussion caused by attempted suicide. And the witnesses weren't keen on it getting around.

Remus' head lifted from the book he was reading as the portrait hole swung open, and he waited to see who would be revealed by the oil canvas.

Though his hopes were disappointed to see it was only a seventh year coming back from dinner late. Without a notice of the sad looking peers he headed up the stairs.

Turning to James and Peter they had the same disappointment painted on their faces. And the girls hadn't even raised their heads, knowing that Lily was far from coming back after only a few hours of being hospitalised.

Kay and April sat back to back on the maroon rug in front of the licking flames of the open fireplace. Kay staring at Mel as if their eyes could talk, and Mel staring back at her copying her beliefs.

April, on the other hand, couldn't help but stare around the common room, it wasn't the first time she had been in the Gryffindors' accommodation but it never ceased to amaze her the wonders it held with its tapestries and warm glow it filled you with.

Though, through all this all girls held a solemn look in their eyes on their lips.

Peter was shuffling his potions papers, convinced that doing work would keep his mind off other subjects.

And James, there was no other way to explain James' emotions than devastated. Wether it be about Sirius, or Lily. Remus would bet it was the later.

As much as they were all anxious about Sirius' burnt hands, all of them were only thinking about Lily in the hours that had passed by as they still sat in the same conformation as they were then.

"Gosh I was expecting a little more of a welcome," Sirius mumbled standing on the rug with his friends.

James stood up silently and hugged his best friend while Peter and Remus slapped him on the back.

"Lily?" April asked in the one word question.

Sirius shook his head solemnly, "She's still out and they think she's in shock."

April looked up the grandfather clock as it rung eight o'clock, with a sniff she stood, "I have to go before it gets to after hours."

Without a goodbye she left through the portrait that Sirius had just entered through. Mel and Kay stood as well and left up the girls' dormitory stairs.

James flopped back down on the red couch and struggled to fight back the tears that were pushing at his eyes. Though he couldn't hold them back and he rolled onto his stomach to hide his face from his friends.

"James mate it isn't your fault," Sirius reassured, though not going anywhere near James' shaking body.

"Yes it is!" James sat up red eyed and trying not to raise his voice, "Ever since I can remember we have made Lily's time at Hogwarts miserable. She even said so herself, it was all my fault that I made her come to what she had to do."

James was getting louder and louder despite his efforts. Peter shrunk back behind Remus the later who too was cringing back from their emotionally outraged friend himself.

Sirius stood his ground and stared James in the eye, "You have never meant her harm. Everything you have ever done since you knew she existed was for her. She's the one that should be sorry for not letting you have your own life."

"My life is Lily!" James roared back, then stopped, surprised of his own words.

"That's my point!" Sirius yelled back, not sharing the same surprise the others did to James' words before, "It's always Lily, she's always first, when was the last time you put yourself before someone else?"

James was silent at the sudden realisation that Sirius was partly right. It was all for Lily, everything he could remember doing involved Lily.

"As much as she says you are a selfish prick, she's wrong, you are the exact opposite of that. You put others before yourself especially when it comes to her. She needs to open her eyes and see that you aren't trying to humiliate her your just loving her in the only way you know how.

"You're family to me Prongs, and I hate seeing you torn apart by a girl. That's all she is, a girl. What happened to the James Potter I met in first year who said he would date the entire Hogwarts year before he graduated, and promised himself he would never let one of them hurt him?"

"I was eleven, I didn't know her," James reasoned, feeling guilty that he was hurting Sirius just by hurting himself.

Sirius was about to open his mouth again when the portrait opened again and professor Dumbledore entered the almost empty common room.

"Evening Albus," Sirius said putting on a fake mischievous smile.

"Professor whilst we are in the school grounds Mr Black," Dumbldore addressed, the small sparkle in his eyes shining behind his half moon spectacles.

"May we be of service," Remus said, not really making it a question because he thought he was sure what this would be about.

"In fact you may. The four of you, I have come to understand, were witness to Miss Evans falling off the top of the Astronomy Tower. Now, could any of you manage to tell me how that may have happened?"

Sirius and James looked at each other, James' pleading eyes asking Sirius to let him turn himself in, Sirius' stern looking focussing all they're energy into saying it was not his fault and to keep quiet.

"Mr Black? Mr Potter? Is there something the two of you may wish to tell me?"

"No Professor,"

"Yes Professor,"

Both boys glared at each other meaningfully.

"The day that James Potter and Sirius Black disagreed with each other I knew would be the day that something was going down in my school."

"It's my fault Professor," James jumped.

"No it bloody hell is not!" Sirius yelled.

"Mr Black I would like to hear Mr Potter's side of the story thank you," Dumbldore continued in his unnervingly calm voice.

"I pushed Lily, not literally pushed her," James added seeing the questioning raise of the headmaster's brow, "But mentally. She said it was all my fault and then she jumped."

Sirius slapped an open palm on his forehead and sat down on the edge of the couch glaring at James.

"This means you're kicking me out doesn't it? Expelling me?"

"Why would I do that Mr Potter when all you failed to do was successfully catch the girl?"

James' shocked and confused expression wasn't the only one in the room. Remus and Peter stood silently looking from James to Professor Dumbledore while Sirius just held his gaze on James.

"I previously, before coming here, spoke to Lillian Evans in the hospital wing. She would like me to thank you James for trying to help her and also thank whoever saved her life and that I give them 50 points to their house."

James was still looking shocked and confused as Sirius collapsed on his back making a sigh as loud as a horse.

"She fell James," the old wizard concluded to James, "You did not push her over the edge with your maddening pranks. She was up there to think, she got angry and she slipped. That's all that happened."

James wasn't listening anymore, it hit him that Lily was awake. She was ok, she was alive.

As though reading his mind Dumbldore nodded to him, "She is ok, she is alive. But she wishes to be alone. The dance is only two nights away and of course she wants to get a good nights beauty sleep before hand as I suggest you four boys to as well."

Without another word the Headmaster in his floor length navy robes left.

Peter already started his way up to their dorm when he turned to James, "It's not your fault Prongs. Lily said it herself."

James nodded though he didn't realise he was. He flopped on his back, sighing as Sirius had minutes ago and the relieving news.

"Oof!" came Sirius' noise as his best friend landed on his stomach but he did not resist the other boys weight.

"Sirius?" James asked smiling slightly but keeping all seriousness in his voice.

"Mmmm?" was Sirius' reply.

"I love you mate."

Sirius shot up dumping James on the floor and giving him a queer look.

"You know in a brotherly way," he added quickly not liking the look he was getting.

Sirius' expression softened but he still kept the one raised eyebrow, "You too Prongsie."

James lay on the rug and closed his eyes enjoying the warmth of the fire on his side, he could stay there all night if he wanted.

"But honestly mate, I thought you were going all gay on me outta nowhere. Don't scare me like that."

"Shut up Padfoot," James growled the last thing he remembered before everything going silent.

* * *

_**A/N: I feel like I haven't updated in ages. I meant to update quicker that this though but I hit mountain problems. I might not update for a while longer though but I think I know where I'm going from here. Also let me know if you think I'm drawing scenes out too long, like the last two chapters have been 3000 words+ and only one day long. Thnx and please review.**_


	15. The Christmas Spirit

**_Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up. _**

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Chapter 15: 

The light was almost unbearable even through the slits in her eyes. Her head hurt and her limbs felt stiff. She felt as though she had just fallen off the astronomy tower.

Lily Evans' green eyes opened wide and she shot up in the hospital wing bed, soon after regretting she had done so.

She _had_ fallen off the astronomy tower. And someone had saved her. _James?_ No, she shook her head correcting herself as the image of James' hand reaching for her flashed through her head. He had been on top of the astronomy tower when she fell, he couldn't have saved her. Or was that Remus who had been there with her begging her to back down from the edge?

Her head swayed, the memories of yesterday's afternoon events not as clear as she wished they could have been. It was like a slide show. She saw James, _he had been on the roof with me,_ and she was yelling at him. Sirius had been there too, but in the next slide he wasn't._Was it Sirius that saved me?_

She took her hands away from her eyes and first saw the Callander that hung on the wall opposite her. "That can't be right," she muttered to herself as she read the date that read twenty-fourth of December. Hadn't it been the twenty-second yesterday?

She turned when she felt the presence of someone by her side and found herself faced by a pair of silver eyes, "Thirsty?" Remus asked handing her a drink.

Lily took the drink thankfully, her mind still spinning with the unknown gaps. She looked back over to the Callander, could she really have slept a whole day?

"I have to admit that you weren't the first person I'd expect to see in the morning."

"Kay, Mel and April brought some of the other girls down to see you yesterday, but you were asleep," Lily then noticed the bouquet of arranged flowers that sat on the bedside table next to them boxes and boxes of her favourite treats.

"And I'm sure they were up here earlier," something in Remus' voice sounded doubtful but Lily, with her sharp mind – as unstable as it may have seemed – picked up on it almost immediately.

"Kay's probably already started getting ready for the dance, despite the fact its hours away and Mel would be off with Peter, and April with Diggory."

"Actually that's sort of why I'm here," Remus cut in over the top of Lily's reasoning.

It took Lily a minute to process what the Marauder meant. Her first presumption had been that he was going to ask her about the dance, no doubt asking if she would want to be escorted by Potter. But a small slither of hope remained that he was for himself.

"Hmm?" she asked subtly not wanting to seem too expectant.

"Are you going to go to the dance at all?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Remus looked at his hands and nodded slowly, but he didn't say anything else.

Lily hesitated then asked the question that was buzzing in her mind, "Was there… something you wanted to umm, ask me Remus?"

Remus looked up suddenly which made Lily blush. His face looked surprised and he jumped into speech, "No! I mean, sorry Lily, but umm…"

"It's ok," she rushed avoiding his eyes and going as red as her hair, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Remus looked away awkwardly. He frowned, "I didn't know you felt that way Lily. And I'm afraid I never have and I don't think I ever will like you in that way," he then smiled more to himself, "Besides, I think James would kill me if I did take you to the dance."

Lily could only look at him and wonder what he was talking about. Remus obviously saw the look of confusion on his face because he chuckled, "Don't worry about it."

"No I'm curious now," Lily knelt on the side of the bed closer to Remus just as the door creaked.

"Lily are you awake? Because if you are I brought you some chocolate frogs, and if you aren't I'm going to have to eat them for you…"

Lily only had a split second to see Kay walk in the door looking down at the four packets of candy she had brought for her ill friend. If she had blinked she wouldn't have know what was going on.

Remus' hand went around the back of Lily's neck and he pulled her closer until her lips were planted on his. At any other moment she would have guessed she was in a dream. But something about the moment didn't seem real, like it was cold and meaningless.

She gathered all the strength she could find into her arms and used to push him away despite the part of her mind that was yearning to keep it that way, "Remus… what." She couldn't find the right words to describe her surprise. Hadn't he only seconds ago been telling her he didn't feel that way?

Lily looked up when she heard the sound of something light hitting the ground. Where Kay had once been standing were now only the boxes of chocolate frogs she had brought laying on the ground.

"Kay?" Lily called out in confusion. She looked back to Remus who wouldn't meet her eyes. "Remus what is going on? I thought-"

Remus cut Lily off as the chair he had been sitting on screeched as he stood up. Still not meeting her eyes he turned and walked out, "I'm sorry Lily."

She sat back on the fluffed pillows in the hospital wing bed. This life she had recently woken up to suddenly didn't feel like her own. How could everything she had sorted out change within just the short time of one days sleep?

She looked up again when she heard heavy footsteps coming back through the door. "Kay, I was wondering where you'd gone. You'd never guessed what just happened to me. It was the strangest thing."

"Hmm, really," Kay replied uninterested, sitting in the seat that moments ago Remus had been sitting in and putting the chocolate frogs beside Lily's bed.

"Yeah it…are you okay?" Lily stopped as she noticed the slight redness around her friend's eyes and the dull look on her face.

She was met by a steady gaze. "No I'm not," Kay almost snapped but her features didn't change expression.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lily asked almost hesitantly, "Is it something to do with someone or something?"

"Yeah, well, you would know wouldn't you?"

At once Lily guessed that it was something of her own fault. The first thing coming to mind that her friend had been worried about her safety. It made her feel good inside that there were people who cared so much.

"Kay I'm fine. I'm just a little stiff. And besides it was all an accident no one got hurt or died…" Lily drifted off as the look on Kay's face changed from distant and hurt to livid.

"It isn't about you! Well, _now_ it is. But it shouldn't be!"

"Kay what are you talking about?"

Kay sighed putting her head in her hands and trying to control her breathing, "I suppose I brought it on myself anyway."

"Hello, Miss Oblivious here! I still don't know what you're talking about!" Lily was unprepared for what happened next as her friend burst into uncontrollable tears and put her head on the side of the bed.

"I'm so sorry Lily, I'm being silly," Kay hiccoughed through the tears as she attempted to impede the tears.

"Kay I still don't know what you're on about," why did Lily feel all of a sudden so guilty in this awkward moment? She guided Kay onto the small space there was left on the bed and they huddled against the pillows.

"Remus is angry at me. I kissed Sirius and now he hates me, but I didn't mean to Lily, I didn't know what I was doing and it was the most stupid, idiotic fucked up mistake I've ever made in my life," the tears continued as Kay rushed through and all Lily could do was act comforting and pretend she had a clue what her friend was confiding in her.

Kay sniffed and looked Lily in the eye, more distressed than she had been before, "I should have told you Lily but I couldn't. I knew you liked him and I knew you would be so angry with me if you found out."

Lily's light bulb went on as she realised what her friend was talking about. "Are you saying?" She couldn't finish the sentence; she didn't want to finish the sentence. "How long?"

"I don't know, months I guess."

It wasn't the fact that her friend was dating the boy she had had her eye on since the first year, it was the fact that she hadn't been told about it. "You didn't tell me." She tried to keep her voice calm but she couldn't help the small tone of injure out of her voice.

Kay didn't say anything but looked down at the bed sheets, almost as if she was ashamed of what she had done. "I'm tired I want to be alone." Lily said rolling over so that she couldn't see her friend.

She didn't hear any verbal form of Kay's departure but the wooden doors sliding back into place against one another told that she had left. Lily was not tired at all, but she did want to be alone. "This will all blow over, I'll be over it by the time the dance starts." She reassured herself.

-:-

The next time she opened her eyes the light was dimming, perhaps a few hours until the dance. Every girl in the castle would be flooding the bathrooms with makeup bag and accessory essentials in hand preparing for the big night.

Her view of the window was blocked by the large vase that stood on the nearside of the simple white side table. The gift card that hung from one of the green stemmed lilies read nervously scrawled handwriting: _ I'm Sorry, with love._

"Love from who?" Lily thought out loud.

"Dear, dear Miss Evans. Still in bed?" Madam Pomfrey interrupted her thoughts. She placed a glass of water next to the elaborate flower arrangement and then lay the dress Lily had chosen for the dance across the base of the bed.

"Madam Pomfrey, who delivered these flowers?" Lily asked gesturing to the lilies before the nurse disappeared through the closing curtains.

"I'm afraid I don't know dear." Was all the nurse had to say before she continued to shut the curtains so that Lily could dress in privacy. When she looked in the mirror she sighed in satisfaction. The dress made her look like she had some figure at least.

She swirled the skirt that hung just past her knees and thought about how Kay would be wearing the same dress, except that the midnight blue skirts would reach to the polished marble floor. Though knowing her friend like she did, Kay would have her hair done up in an elaborate twist and have gold or silver earrings, necklaces and bracelets attracting every eye to her. Not to mention the makeup that would take her hours.

Mel would prefer the more simple pearl necklace and bracelet and a charmed pair of glasses that would suit her yellow dress.

No one had seen April's dress yet, she had pressed the issue that she wanted it to be a surprise, but everyone was sure it would be stunningly beautiful just as she was.

Deciding against trying to up show her friends, she placed the simple golden necklace and matching hoop earrings she had gotten from her mother for Christmas and left the gold watch hanging from her wrist.

After slipping her strappy red heels onto her feet and then stood, ready to leave. "You aren't really going to wear those _red_ shoes with that _blue_ dress are you?" Only one person would ask such a question.

Lily pretended to ignore Kay standing at the doors to the Hospital Wing as she grabbed her wand and charmed the red shoes so that they were the exact shade as her dress. "Happy now?" she asked her waiting friend trying to act as though she wasn't at all happy to see her.

"Much better," Kay link her arm through Lily's as they began to walk towards their destination.

"Where's Mel?"

"Already at the dance with Pettigrew waiting for the music to start so she can get her toes crushed into oblivion."

"Don't be mean, she really likes him."

"Sorry for speaking the truth. But you can't deny that there is something creepy about him. Like he's one of those innocent guys you go to school with and then when he grows up you read in the _Prophet_ that he's murdered his best friend or wife or something like that."

"Kay this is Peter we're talking about, I don't think he could quite pull off man slaughter."

When the Great Hall doors where pushed back to reveal its interior Lily took in a breath of amazement. The long house tables had been vanished and the floor that suffered from the trampling of hundreds of students every other day had been polished to a sheen. Silver, red and green tinsel had been strewn across the walls in the Christmas spirit and the Christmas trees that stood along the walls were covered in snow as though the roof was really snowing down onto them.

Where the teachers' dining table usually stood was bare and a band was setting up their instruments ready to play for the waiting students that were already by the snack covered tables.

"Oh my gosh, April!" Lily gasped as she stole her friend out of her date's arms, "You look so gorgeous how could you not tell us about this dress?"

Lily looked at the strapless golden dress the sparkled from an unknown light source, with her wavy hair let out to hang around her shoulders she didn't need any sort accessory save the shimmering sparkles that seemed to be everywhere including the tips of her eyelashes. "I told you, I wanted it to be a surprise. I spent so much money on it because I loved it so much and I was afraid that if I showed it to anyone before the dance that they would hate it and I'd have to take it back."

"You look beautiful," Amos said as he wrapped his arms around April's bare shoulders and swung her around playfully.

"So you didn't get a date?" Kay asked Lily conversationally.

"Well neither did you!" Lily said defensively but soon realised she'd hit a soft spot as Kay sighed and dropped the comment.

"Did Remus come with someone else then?"

"No I don't think so, but look who else showed up without a date."

Lily followed the direction of Kay's eyes and landed on the drinks table paralleled to them on the other side of the room.

James tried not to listen to the cooing Sirius was making in a sickly sweet voice that was making Candy giggle that intolerably high pitched giggle. "No you're cuter," she laughed, playfully pushing her date on the chest.

"No you are."

"No way!"

James rolled his eyes, this could go on for a long time. He weighed down the decision to go over and join Peter across the room, but he wasn't feeling entirely at ease with standing beside Lily.

"Shut your mouth Prongs you're drooling," said his new company.

James wiped at his mouth consciously and then turned to Remus, "I am not." He turned back to looking across the room almost immediately and new that the awed look on his face could not be hidden from his well trained friend, "She does look beautiful tonight doesn't she?"

Remus didn't reply but look across at his friend who didn't take his eyes from Lily for a second. "Why can't you just admit it?"

"Because I'm James Potter, I can't be in love. I date girls for the fun of it and the fame. I do not date girls to try and find that special one that I'll spend the rest of my life with," James flared up. He couldn't be in love with Lily.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you already have found that special one and you're just too ignorant to realise it?" When James didn't respond he continued, "You have dedicated this whole year to getting Lily Evans to notice you, and here you are going full out about sing her a love song on Christmas Eve. When have you ever gone to such lengths to get a girl to date?"

"I've never needed to." After a long pause James attempted to change the subject, "Besides you're not the one who should be interrogating me." When his friend only looked at him with confusion he decided to enlighten, "Why didn't you tell us that you're dating Crew, emphasise on the present tense dat_ing._"

Remus fought the instinct to blush by trying to sound casual as he asked, "How did you find out about that?"

"Padfoot told me about it."

"How did he find out about it?" Remus said failing to sound casual as the annoyance crept into his voice at the thought of the night his girlfriend had cheated on him with his unsuspecting best friend.

"It wasn't Padfoot's fault remember, he didn't know you had dibs on her," James reminded his frowning friend before he continued. "He didn't want to tell you because he knew you'd go through the roof if he talked about it to you, he feels horrible about it you know? No matter how much he acts like it was just another girl. He said that when she realised what they were doing she burst into tears. He tried to comfort her but all she could say was your name and how you were going to hate her."

"She didn't look so depressed when she retrieved her bra from Sirius," Remus said stonily.

"She couldn't, she made him swear not to tell you because she knew you'd hate her and dump her. Well, that all went down the toilet when Sirius gave her back her bra in front of the whole common room didn't it?"

Remus shook his head not wanting to hear anymore and walked off in the direction of where the band was setting up.

James looked back over to Lily who seemed to be pushing Kay in the direction of where Remus was walking, but her friend seemed reluctant.

"This may be you're only chance to say sorry!" Lily urged Kay whose feet refused to move.

"Is this about the-" Amos Diggory began to ask as he realised who they were talking about.

"Yeah, better not to ask," April warned him guiding him to the further end of the table.

"But he hates me," Kay sobbed.

"No he doesn't!" Mel assured her friend also taking her arm and this time trying to drag her towards the wandering boy.

"Yes he does," Peter said confused, and soon regretted it as his date and her best friend turned hard eyes against him. It was obvious by the surrendered look on Kay's features that they wouldn't be getting her to talk to Remus tonight.

"Ok students the band is set up we're going to start the night with a little slow music," McGonagall's voice broke the sound of chattering mouths across the hall and caused them to gather in the wide space of the cleared floor.

The melodic sound that came from the bands instruments was smooth and enticing and set all the students up for a waltz with their partners. Peter and Mel danced smack in the middle of it all and only had their eyes on each other as they danced with surprising grace.

"Melissa Pettigrew."

"No it doesn't have a ring to it," said Lily as Kay said the name while they watched her friend's broad smile when Peter pulled her closer to him.

"Oh, oh, April Diggory."

"Hmm, I dunno you kind of have to force it," the two friends now turned their eyes to April whose Dark wavy hair was flying out behind her as Amos swung her around him, arms around her waist and smiled as she laughed out loud.

"Lily Potter," Kay said sneakily.

"No, absolutely not," Lily could see James and Remus across the other side of the room. Remus was avoiding his gaze landing on anyone in particular and watched the band play instead. She allowed her gaze to James and found her green eyes locked onto his hazel ones. Quickly tearing her eyes away she repeated, "Absolutely not."

They saw a teacher go by the boys and usher them out of their seats, pointing towards the two girls on the other side of the room. "Oh no," Lily breathed.

"What are they doing?" Kay asked watching the proceeding boys as well.

"I think they have to dance with us." Lily got up a plan already forming in her evil little mind with the intention to do good. She swept by the boys and took James by the arm dragging him to an open spot on the dance floor.

Remus raised his hands in surprise as his friend was dragged away from him. James only shrugged and allowed himself to be dragged.

"Don't get cocky Potter," Lily tried not to sound too venomous and stopped dragging him to turn and see what Remus and Kay would do.

"There are plenty other girls besides her that her could easily take to dance with," James said catching on to what Lily planned. If she took James as her partner then that left Remus alone with one choice, well actually it left him with fifteen other choices instead of sixteen, but Lily was hoping he would take the one she planned for.

"She's miserable without him, he has to choose her."

"You think he doesn't know that she's miserable? He's miserable because she's miserable. But he wants her to feel the hurt that he felt when she cheated on him."

Lily matched James' glare as they battled for what was best for their friends. "If you're not going to dance together then find another partner or go back to your dorm," clapped one of the patrolling teachers.

"If your hand slips even a millimetre below my waist Potter you will be waking up ten years from now," Lily warned.

"With you in my arms?" James tested cockily which earned him a hard trod on the foot.

Lily's expression soon changed from contempt to delight, "Oh look, look!" she pointed and James turned to find cause for her excitement.

"Wow Severus got a date! That's a new low for me," James said disgruntled, "Ouch!" he yelped as Lily punched him in the arm and pointed again.

"I told you he would dance with her," Lily said proudly as James finally spotted Remus dancing with Kay awkwardly. His hand placed lightly on her hip and his other holding her hand just as lightly as though he wasn't quite sure he wanted to be in the situation but didn't want to pass it up.

James froze as he heard Lily sigh with happiness for her friend and placed her head on his shoulder as she continued to watch them. James' mind raced and he no idea why. Did she realise whose shoulder she had just put her head on? James could hear the blood pulsing through his heart as he thought of what to do next, but all he could think of was whether Lily could hear his heart just as clearly as he could.

"Umm, Lily…" he managed to stutter unevenly as he turned his head towards her resting one.

"Hmm," she replied listlessly rolling her head so she could see into his face, not realising how close in fact he was already.

There was a long unsettling silence and James could only think one thing, _Is this one of those moments where you know you're going to spend the rest of your life with the person in your arms? No!_ battled another part of his mind, _She's just another girl. Another gorgeous girl who you will never get because she will never fall for your usual tricks._

"You're not like other girls Lily," he muttered under his breath to himself.

"What?" Lily raised her head only just hearing what he had said since her head had been so close to his.

"I-err," James battled the two parts of his mind that he had just been talking to.

"James!"_Saved by the bell_, James thought as Sirius reached out through the crowd and grabbed James' shoulder, "Are we going to do this or not?"

"What spike a few drinks? Blow up a Christmas tree?" Lily guessed, back to the stony way she usually addressed the Marauders.

"Oh you'll see," Sirius winked at her and then ran off in the direction of Remus.

James released Lily and began to head off after his friend when he felt his arm suddenly jerked back, not by Lily's hand though. He looked back to see that his cuff had snagged on the catch of Lily's golden watch. "Oh, sorry," apologized as he worked to get the cuff loose, failing he resorted to removing his jacket all together. "You can give it back to me later!" he called back to Lily who was left holding his jacket as he ran off towards the raised platform the band was playing on.

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_**A/N: YAY! I finally updated! I'm very sorry it wasn't sooner, I'd forgotten about it until one faithful reader reviewed and reminded me so special thanks to ****Wowzeers54**** for that :P Also thank you to all my reviewers who have continued to read my story and it to them that I am most sorry. I'm not sure if there will only be one more chapter or two more chapters to this story yet so we'll have to wait and see.**_


	16. Staircase Save

**_Disclaimer: I do not on Harry Potter or Hogwarts or the students or the teachers or the magic or anything else that you can find that the author has written up. __I also do not own the song A Little Less Sixteen Candles which is FOB's. (Fall __Out Boy squeal) cough sorry._**

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Chapter 16:

"James?" Lily called after him, and when he didn't respond to her more caring tone she yelled instead, "Potter!"

Mel came bouncing over to her, the yellow silk skirts bunched up in her fists as she ran awkwardly towards Lily. "What are they doing? The band is still halfway through a song." She huffed and glared at Peter's small figure as the boys gathered around the stand "Couldn't they have asked for autographs some other time?"

Kay approached the girls in a much more graceful stride, obviously having worn high heels in a floor length dress before. "Men," she muttered under her breath to Mel. She then noticed the large, black, fabric object Lily held in her hands, "What's that?"

Lily only noticed then that James had left his jacket with her. Looking down at it she remained silent as though she wasn't quite sure what it was either. "James' jacket…" she didn't quite know how to finish the sentence but she attempted, "Got caught on my watch so he left it behind."

She now looked at the watch clasp that had kept the jacket from making an exit with its wearer. When she looked she felt confused to find that the jacket wasn't caught on the watch at all, but she could have sworn it had been.

"What are they doing?" Mel said again but this time meaning it more than the accusation she had used before. The boys had caused the song to halted in mid swing and where stretched up close to the band who were leaning down to hear the what the boys were requesting.

Noise around the hall was starting to build as students began to question what happened to their music and the teachers had to call out across from all four corners of the hall to silence them. When the sound had finally subsided the students all turned their attention back to the stand.

Where once the band members had been playing their various instruments most of which Lily could recognise as basic muggle ones: the guitar; drums; base guitar, but there were still others that may have resembled recognisable instruments that looked as though they had been through a terrible blender with a few other instruments, on the stage now stood four very recognisable class mates.

Girls squealed with delight as Sirius took in the lime light and bowed to his adoring audience. "What are they doing?" Mel screamed this time with more shock this time as the boys all seemed to take up a place at instruments.

Peter seemed to be weighing up the drum sticks in his hand with his wand in the other and began muttering something that made the instrumental sticks turn gold and balance themselves without any human assistance.

Remus was doing the same to all the other instruments and stood before them like what reminded Lily of a grand conductor in an orchestra.

Sirius was the only of the four of them to actually leave his wand untouched and picked up the base guitar in hand and practiced a few strums.

James held the microphone in a nervous hand and looked at the audience with a tight throat. His friends noticed his hesitation and Sirius leaned toward him, "If you get nervous mate, just picture them all in their underwear."

"Umm," James spoke into the microphone uncertainly. When it made his words louder and heard across his audience he smiled and composed himself ready for what he would do next. "Hello fellow students of Hogwarts!" he called out to them waving a hand high in the air, girls squealed as they would at a real band concert and this made James confidence even stronger.

"What are they doing?" Mel said for the fourth time that night.

"I don't know!" both Lily and Kay yelled at her through their own confusion.

"Thank to the band who has kindly given us this time and use of their instruments to put this song out to a very special girl."

"Lily I think he's talking about you," Mel said as the crowd screamed again making it seem like she had whispered.

"He bloody better not be!" Lily crossed her arms and glared up at the stage hoping that James would catch her scorn and stop before he over did it.

James gave a signal to his friends who stood on standby and once that was done Remus and Peter, with a flick of their wands, sent the instruments into an upbeat rhythm. Sirius began to play his base guitar and soon into it James opened his mouth began to sing, still looking out into the audience in search for Lily.

_"I confess, I messed up __dropping "I'm sorry" like you're still around_

_And I know you dressed up_

_H__ey kid you'll never live this down"_

Lily could feel her cheeks blazing with a hot blush that she tried to choke back. This had to be a dream and if it wasn't it was just another of James' cocky plans to get her to go out with him._  
_

_"__C__oz__ you're just the girl all the boys want to dance with_

_And I'm just the boy who's had too many chances_

_I'm sleeping on your folk's porch again, dreaming_

_She said, she said, she said, 'Why don't you just drop dead?_

_I don't blame you for being you_

_But__ you can't blame me for hating it_

_So say, what are you waiting for?_

_Kiss her, kiss her_

_I set my clocks early__ coz __I know I'm always late__"_

One part of Lily was boiling with rage at the fact he had the cheek to try such a thing. The other parts were all melting as the words sunk in and felt the meaning he put behind every syllable.

_"__Write me off, give up on me _

_Coz__ darling, what did you expect_

_I'm just off a lost cause __a long shot, don't even take this bet_

_You can make all the moves, you can aim all the spotlights_

_Get all the sighs and the moans just right_

_I'm sleeping on your folk's porch again, dreaming_

_She said, she said, she sa__id, _

_'Why don't you just drop dead?"_

"Hey watch out!" Lily snapped as a jacketed shoulder bumped past her. She took back her words back into her mouth as she saw Nate's dark haired head turned to face her.

"Oh sorry Lily I didn't realize it was you," Nate looked back to his school mates who continued their song.

_"__I don't blame you for being you_

_But__ you can't blame me for hating it_

_So say, what are you waiting for?_

_Kiss her, __kiss her_

_I set my clocks early coz__ I know I'm always late__"_

"I bet you're the envy of every girl to have ever seen Potter," Nate said turning to Lily, "If I had brought a date I bet should be turning green right now."

"What do you mean?" Lily stopped watching the band and turned her attention to him instead.

"Well, I mean I know he said it was just to a special girl but everyone already knows it's you."

"No I mean you don't have a date? What about your girlfriend?"

More girls started screaming so that Lily could hardly hear Nate as Sirius took up backing vocals beside James.

_"__Always on, always on"_

_"__You said you'd keep me honest__"_

_"Always on, always on"_

_"__But I won't call you on it__"_

_"Always on, always on"_

"Oh, well I don't really have a girlfriend," Nate looked guilty as Lily's jaw dropped. "I just thought because, well because, ok honest truth? I thought James would kill me if I asked his girlfriend out on a date."

"What!" Lily screamed so that many faces turned to look at her. Now the melting parts of Lily were hardening and all there was was anger. Just when he seemed to be taking a turn for the better it was things like this that shot him out of the sky.

Angry tears began to sting Lily's eyes and she had to blink furiously to try and stop them. Throwing the black jacket she had still held carelessly to the ground, she began shoving shoulders to get to the heavy hall doors that seemed so far away at the other end of the hall.

James could see Lily leaving. How could she? Why would she? Here he was pouring his heart out for her and was just going to walk away? He followed her with his eyes and began to walk to the end of the stage but held his notes singing.

_"__I don't blame you for being you_

_But__ you can't blame me for hating it_

_So say, what are you waiting for?_

_Kiss her, kiss her_

_I set my clocks early '__coz__ I know I'm always late__"_

"Lily wait!" he called out to the audience not yet having put the microphone down. He chucked it over his should as he jumped of the makeshift stage and tried to swim over the crowd who were all trying to congratulate him while at the same time he tried to keep Lily's head in view all the while calling her name.

Lily couldn't hear James calling her name all the way back in the hall, not that she tried too. As she ran towards the moving staircases she felt as though she was wearing layers of flour length dresses instead of the flimsy knee length dress. She kicked off her shoes hoping they would make her feel like she could run faster.

"Lily!" James called again finally having freed himself of the claustrophobic crowd. He saw Lily's red hair turn so that her white face was revealed up a flight of stairs, but as soon as it she seemed to recognize who it was she turned again and ran more hastily.

James ran up the stair after her, gaining ground quicker than she could make it and this distressed Lily. The tears she had been trying to conceal burst down her cheeks as she sprinted, bare foot, towards the next flight of stairs. She realized soon that she was not going to win the race to Gryffindor Tower against this Quidditch star, and stopped at the edge of the flight of stairs she had been climbing.

James stopped a few steps away from her. If he took one more he would have been able to take her hand to comfort her like he was wishing he could.

Lily turned to him, aware that her eyes would be red rimmed and puffy, and she hoped it would put him off. "Why don't you just leave me alone Potter?"

James faltered, not sure where this was coming from. Hadn't he been the one that had attempted to save her life on the astronomy tower? Hadn't he been the boy who just sang her a song he chose just for her? "I don't understand," he said in a small voice.

"Neither do I," Lily said just as quietly. She shook her head sadly and looked at her bare feet.

"Then why do you act like this? I'm just trying to…" James didn't really know how to finish his sentence because he didn't know himself what he was trying to do.

"Ruin my life?" Lily fumed. When James quickly shook his head in disbelief at her words she got even angrier, "That's all you ever seem to do Potter! You humiliate me in front of the entire school on a regular basis; you make it impossible for me go a day without losing my temper; you also seem to be the cause that my love life is dead on arrival."

"Ok, that one I can't explain," James was furious that Lily was putting his head on the chopping block for all this. "How is it my fault that guys don't ask you out? When have I ever done something that has interfered with your personal life?"

"Try every day!"

"Name three times."

"Edward Beret, Michael Winston, Nate Ralston!"

"Beret is a jerk he cheats on all his girlfriends what would you care if he didn't go out with you? And as for Winston, he's a Slytherin!"

"And a gentleman! What does it matter what house he's in?"

"Whatever, and Ralston, what has he got to do with this?"

"He was going to ask me to the dance that happens to be going on in the room below us!" Lily's voice got angrier with every excuse James conjured up.

"Well he didn't, so what does that say about him? He obviously didn't care enough if he's there by himself right now when he could have been taking you."

"He didn't take me because he thought that some idiotic moron that wants to be my boyfriend, which will never happen, was going to hurt him if he did!"

"Boy I'd hate to be in his shoes, who was he?"

"You!"

"Me?"

"Yes you! You waste your time around me trying to win me like I'm some sort of prize. You can't even get it through your thick skull that leaves no room for a brain that humiliation is not the way to a girl's heart. You and all of your obnoxious cronies, who follow you like sheep, walk around the halls thinking that being the biggest man whore in the school is the most impressive title to possess. Well it is not! Men like you will grow up alone with no one but the friends you have now and the memories of the 'glory days' when every girl would be at your feet!"

Lily's chest heaved in and out after she poured all the angry thoughts of James out to his face. She felt pleasure in looking at James' speechless face as his mouth gaped open searching for words like a fish out of water wanting to breathe.

Both their expressions changed as there was shudder through the staircase as marble on marble ground away from each other. James fell to his knees as he was standing in the middle of the set of steps and had nothing to hold onto.

Lily was on the balls of her feet as a gap was created from the staircase and the floor behind her. She grabbed at the banister for support with her free hand, the other holding the shoes she had taken off, as she felt herself losing balance.

The stairs lurched again as they decided on their next destination and slowly, yet at the same time terrifying, ground towards a floor somewhere above them.

James groaned as he inspected the tear on the knee his long pants where he could see the white skin of his knee that had a minimal amount of blood coming from a small cut but was already noticeably bruised. He looked up quickly when he heard a scream from in front of him.

Lily dropped the blue shoes from her free hand to try and grasp the thick marble banister with both as her feet slipped out from underneath her. The hand hold she desperately grasped to began to disappear through her fingers as the rounded surfaces saw too large to get a hold onto. She only screamed as her sweaty hands began to slip from the only thing keeping her from falling four stories and she only managed to catch herself on the top step. Her knuckles where white with the effort to hold herself but she couldn't find the strength in her terror to lift herself up.

"Lily!" James flung himself towards where Lily had only just managed to save herself from death on the edge of the stairs and now only her struggling fingers could be seen. He immediately grasped one of her wrists with both of hers and tried to pull her up.

"James don't let me fall!" Lily's legs flailed in empty air instinctively trying to find something solid that would ensure her safety.

"I can't!" James called down to her just as desperately as his work didn't seem to be even moving her.

"Potter! This is no time to be calling me fat!"

* * *

Mel and Kay finally stepped out into the empty stairwell having finally noticed that Lily had gone and couldn't spot her unmistakable trademark hair anywhere in the hall. As they looked left and right for their friend near the paintings on the ground floor, sure that she wouldn't have gone back to the tower and missed this once in a lifetime experience they heard a scream from flights above them.

"What was that?" Mel asked looking over to Kay who hadn't bothered looking up either.

"Ghost?"

This was when a pair of unmistakable shoes fell to the stone floor in front of the girls with a faint crack. Mel and Kay peered up into the shadowy stairwell not knowing what to expect. When they saw a pair of pale legs flailing through the air dressed in the dress Lily had been wearing Kay let out a scream that had been more ear splitting than the one let out by the person in obvious danger.

The music faltered inside the hall as the scream was heard by the guests as well as the hosting teachers. Remus rushed out to the side of Kay whose hands were clasped to her mouth as she stared up at the disaster above them. When Remus followed the terrified girls' eyes and saw what was happening above them he swore under his breath and shoved his way back in through the crowd to find a teacher.

* * *

"Don't look down Lily!" James said angrily as Lily looked over shoulder to view the dropped and then shut her eyes regretting it.

"Just get me up from here!"

"Don't worry I won't let you fall." His soft comforting tone made Lily look up at him, and despite everything she knew about James Potter something in his eyes said exactly what he just told her.

"You won't? Why not?"

James continued to struggle trying to lift her up, his attempts becoming more desperate every metre the rogue staircase travelled. "Because I-I just can't! I don't care what you think of me Lily but that won't change how I think of you." James felt like crying as his strongest attempt failed and he felt as though no other attempt would be any different.

"James I don't hate you." James was surprised of Lily's sudden comment in the present situation. Here she was about to die and she was worried he thought she hated him?

Instinctively he threw his trademark cocky smile at her, "Nobody hates me darlin'."

Two days ago Lily would have blown up at James for his arrogant remark, but to both James and Lily's surprise she smiled at him even as she hung as good as dead four flights above the ground.

That smile made James all the more determined to save Lily's life even if he risked his in the process. An idea passed before James and before Lily could stop him, he was climbing down next to the damsel in distress all the while still keeping hold of one of her hands.

"James what are you doing!" Lily cried trying to kick at him to stop him from continuing.

When James was finally at eye level with Lily, hanging beside her he looked into her green eyes with his hazel, the most serious look Lily could ever receiving from him. "Lily do you trust me?"

Lily gasped as she battled with herself to answer. How could he ask such a thing? But did she trust him? She look over her shoulder to the drop below them and wondered what his her trust in him could lead to. Finally she nodded her head meekly.

"I need you to let go with this hand and hold onto me." James squeezed the hand closest to him as she looked at him in horror shaking her head now, "I thought you trusted me?" he said playfully.

Lily scowled at him but ever so slowly loosened her grip on her hand hold. James kept his on hold with one hand and with the other placed Lily's arm around his neck. "Now the other hand."

"Are you crazy! Either I will fall or the both of us will!" Lily shouted too him even though he was right next to her. He gave her a look that clearly pointed out her indication that she trusted him. With and angry sigh and shaking limbs she eased herself toward him, obeying his instructions.

With a deep breath Lily let go with her remaining hand that held the stair above their heads and threw herself around his neck. She screamed as the fear of falling took hold of her. When both her hand were locked around James' neck and her face buried in his chest, she risked a look up. James was grinding his teeth as both his arms strained to hold them.

"You can't possibly pull both of us up James!" Lily cried again.

"I'm not going to pull us up." Both students looked down as they both knew what James was talking about. Lily gave him a bewildered stare and he confirmed her fears with a nod. "If we can't go up we're going to have to go down. As long as you trust me it will be fine, don't worry I'll break your fall."

"No James you could die!"

"Better me than you." Lily looked into James eyes again for what felt like the billionth time that night and saw that he like her was on the brink of tears, his hidden more expertly perhaps, but she was still close enough to see them.

"If we continue holding onto this staircase we'll get crushed when it meets the floor." Lily could see that James was right as they neared the end of this nightmarish ride.

James was looking about him and his eyes lit up, just what Lily needed to see, a spark of hope. "Lily I'm going to count to four and then I'm going to let go, ok?" Lily nodded quickly and then shut her eyes tight and then using her hand on his back to pull herself tightly to his chest where she hid her face.

"1…2…3…" Lily tried to conceal the squeak of terror that promised to escape as the coming scenario passed through her imagination. "4!"

Lily knew James had let go because his hand were wrapped around her shoulders protectively. Even though they were falling to their deaths she felt strong sense of safety in those arms as though he would never let anything hurt her.

All of a sudden there was a huge outtake of breath as the air from their lungs disappeared on impact. The fall had been quicker than Lily had expected and the only pain she could feel was the searing pain in her right hand and her left wrist that were crushed to the ground. She held her eyes shut waiting for that light that would prove she was dead. When it didn't come she slowly eased them open.

"James!" she cried immediately as the first thing she saw was James' body beneath hers on cold stone. James only groaned in response. "James, are we dead?"

James arms loosened from around Lily as he used them to push himself up with one and hold his head with the other. "I am going to be _so _sore." He groaned again as he took his hand away from the back his head and saw the blood.

Lil took her hands away from him and nursed the hand she felt was most sore. "I think we're alive." Lily said quietly in disbelief. She look up and met James surprised gaze that said 'No kidding!'.

Lily remained sitting awkwardly on James lap where she had landed not caring how high up the skirts of her dress where. She looked down at her already badly bruised hands, she could easily tell the right hand was broken, probably in several places. And she wouldn't be surprised if her left wrist was broken. She looked at it thoughtfully.

"Oh Lily, I'm sorry I'll… I'll buy you a new one."

"What?" Lily looked up at James sincere face with shock, "By me a knew hand?" she had to laugh.

James gave her a lopsided smile and then took her left hand tenderly in his, "No a watch stupid. I know this one must be important to you because you wear it everywhere."

Lily looked down at the golden watch that had been a gift from her grandma. She remembered the story she had been told and the words she had spoken _"__Do you think that this watch will stop for me when I find my true love?__" _ she had asked her Grandma. The reply being: _"I'm almost positive it will."_

"Of course you will," Lily said to James as she put her head on his shoulder, "As long as you promise me one thing."

"Anything," James said immediately.

"You always have to be there save me James, you can't ever not be there for me."

James smiled softly down at Lily. It was amazing what a near death experience could do to you.

"And another thing," Lily added, "You have to put and engraving on the back of my watch. And it must look like the one you broke."

James look startled. "Wait, that _I_ broke? Lily were fell down a flight of stairs, _something_ was going to break."

Lily laughed as James rambled on about nothing in particular. She leaned up and James stopped talking long enough to let her kiss him softly on the lips. They broke apart when they heard footsteps hastily taking steps two at a time.

"Lily!" a bright yellow dress swamped Lily knocking her off James.

"Mel!" Lily embraced her friend tightly as they were attack this time by a dark blue dress and Kay joined them.

Lily looked up as another set of heeled shoes got to the top of the steps. "You guys she's alive!" They all laughed as April joined them in a group hug. "We thought were going to be dead."

Lily sniffed hard to stop herself from reducing to a puddle of tears. She had the best friends in the world and she was grateful for that.

James rolled his shoulders and remained sitting as he watching the four girls bustling over Lily. It was when Sirius, Remus and Peter reached the top of the stairs all too casually that he diverted his attention. When they stopped where they were hands in coat pockets he spread his arms open and smiled a cheesy grin waiting for the same appreciation that Lily was getting.

"We don't need to do all that stuff we knew you were going to live," Sirius said waving his hand dismissively.

"But Sirius, weren't you almost in tears when Remus told us? You started panicking about how he was your best friend and if you lost him you would-" Peter was cut off as he screamed and toppled down the stairs backwards.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Sirius called down the stairs.

James insisted that Sirius and Remus would help him up if they were true friends and so he was soon on his feet rubbing his back. Just as Lily joined James Professor McGonagall was at the top of the stairs as well panting heavily.

"Good heavens," she said through uneven breaths, "I was informed that there had been some kind of accident."

"No Professor, we're fine now," Lily put her hand on James' arm but kept her eyes on McGonagall.

"Well I still must insist that you spend a visit to the hospital wing to ensure your injuries are tended to immediately."

"Of course Professor," James and Lily both promised the precautious lady.

* * *

"James, are you still awake?" Lily whispered through the darkness.

James rolled over to face the light source coming from Lily's extended wand. He sat up to make room for Lily to sit on his bed. They sat in silence for a few minutes in the dim light of just Lily's wand until finally she broke the silence in a soft whisper that James had to strain to here.

"James you're constantly asking me out," she stated.

"Yes," James agreed, not sure where this could be going.

"Why?" there was silence again while James weighed his answers for the best one.

"Well where is this question coming from?"

"I just thought that if I were to accept any future requests that I ought to know why it is that I am being asked the question before I answer."

James shrugged and wondered if Lily could see that in the dim lighting of the hospital wing created by her wand.

"Well why did you hate me?"

"I thought we'd already established that I don't."

"But you did." Neither of them talked for another long time. This time the silence was broken by James. "If you answer my question then I'll answer yours."

Lily knew there was no arguing with a Marauder, even if she did ask the question first and all schoolyard rules she knew lead to the person who asked first gets an answer first.

"Do you remember our first year?" James smiled broadly and so Lily guessed that he did. "Do you remember the little girl that you pranked in the corridor outside the Great Hall so that she looked like she was a half a rabbit?"

James laughed, "That was great! That was the first prank that Sirius, Remus, Peter and I ever pulled together." When his laugh was met with a stony glare realisation came to James. "Oh. Sorry."

"Well there's your reason," Lily huffed folding her arms across her chest, "So where's mine?"

James thought for a moment. He had never really asked himself this question, and so he never really had an answer. He sat in thought for a while trying to find the one with most truth. "I only started asking you four years ago."

Lily nodded, "So what was I invisible before that? Not enough curves?" She said it half jokingly but James could here the other small tone of warning that if he said yes she would thump him.

"Well I always told myself I was asking you out for the usual reason. You know, date the all the girls in my year before I graduate. Compete with my 'flock of sheep' for biggest 'man whore'," James smiled as he used Lily's fight with him earlier as reference for his choice of words. "But I guess it was because of…" James paused and ruffled his dark hair as he always did when he was nervous.

Lily urged him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I guess it was because of… Well do you remember fourth year Christmas?"

"And there was that annoying mistletoe that followed me around and you kept getting stuck under it with me. Yes! That was an awful Christmas." Lily sulked.

"It wasn't for me," James said so quietly that Lily didn't hear him. "Yeah well that mistletoe wasn't really following you around by chance. It was sort of a holiday dare that Sirius worked up. All by himself actual we were proud of him… at first. I'm sorry to say that I had no clue who you were before that, but I wasn't sorry when I kissed you that first time."

Lily remained quiet as James told his story. She could see the memory like it had been yesterday. She had said it was the worst Christmas she had ever spent at Hogwarts. James Potter had kissed her under the mistletoe a count of five times all of them just as meaningless as the last. Each time she managed to push him away that cocky, arrogant smirk played across his lips.

"I was nervous as hell because, well isn't everyone on their first kiss?" James said avoiding Lily's eyes as he blushed.

Lily had to laugh, "You James Potter, famous for the many girls he dated, had his first kiss when he was fourteen and all because his friend dared him too?"

"Yeah well how old were you?"

"Twelve," Lily smirked proudly at him and then felt guilty that she had goaded him for something he was trying to say meant a lot to him.

James scowled at the wall opposite them and continued as he knew Lily would want him to, "And so that's when I started asking you out, after I kissed you that first time. I kept telling myself it was because I needed to have you because that's what I did, I dated girls. But now that I really think about why I did it… No other girl I kissed felt that… special. It wasn't the same, it wasn't as exciting, it was as pleasurable. I think the reason I chased you was because I knew deep inside that that kiss we shared wasn't just a chance kiss, it was meant to happen."

Lily was speechless, "Were the other four kisses you stole from me that Christmas just as 'special'?"

James nodded and smiled at the memory, "But none of them even came close to the one I got tonight."

"Well consider that your Christmas present."

Lily had expected James to laugh at her attempted joke but he remained serious as he looked into her eyes. "Then do you mind if I have another one? You know, in the Christmas spirit."

Lily slipped her hand behind James neck and pulled herself up to meet his lips. James let her kiss him for a few spare seconds before he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her back.

Lily let the wand light go out as she dropped it onto the bedcovers and lost herself in the kiss.

_**A/N: THAT'S IT! I have finished! It took such a long time. I think I started this story almost two years ago didn't I? Oh god how long is it going to take to finish my next one? Well thank you to all me readers. But a BIGGER **__**thank**__** you to all my reviewers! That includes deep breath:**_

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___**That is ALL the users who have ever reviewed my story! And those are the people I am thankful to, **__**expecially**__** those who have reviewed almost all my chapters.**_

___**If you do like my stories please stay alert for my upcoming story Reality **__**Of**__** My Existence. Here's the Summary:**_

___**When not even the people you live with know you; your only friend who is loathed by everyone starts to reveal who they really are; hating a certain person can cause the rest of the world to hate you; you're not sure there is such a thing as love any more, not even in a family... What do you do? **__**Because I definitely don't know.**_

___**There is a tiny segment of it already up (and when I say tiny I mean TINY, 200 words I **__**think :P**_

_____**Feel free to message me for any info on my stories.:)**_


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